Former India men's wicketkeeper-batter Parthiv Patel believes Mumbai Indians cruising to a huge 143-run win over Gujarat Giants in the opening match of the inaugural Womens Premier League (WPL) is exactly the start the tournament needed and that there is more to come.
"After losing the toss, it was very important for Mumbai Indians to have a good start, especially during the powerplay and they did exactly that. It is a big stage for women's cricket and everybody, including the players, was eagerly waiting for this."
Hence, I am sure everybody was nervous. But it was important for the tournament to get off to a good start. Mumbai Indians did it very well, had an explosive start and we are sure there will be more interesting games in the coming days," said Patel, a WPL expert for Sports18 and JioCinema, after the match ended.
Batting first, captain Harmanpreet Kaur's quickfire and pristine 65, including 14 fours, took Mumbai Indians to a mammoth 207/5 at the DY Patil Stadium. In reply, Gujarat Giants were never in the game as Mumbai Indians' bowlers kept taking wickets at regular intervals and restricted them to a mere 64 in 15.1 overs.
Patel was also appreciative of Harmanpreet's captaincy and batting in the match. "The captaincy was great from Harmanpreet and there is no doubt about that. The field placements were especially on point.
More importantly, when it looked like Gujarat Giants couldn't win from a point, she used all her players," he said. "As a batter, she was exceptional as well -- the way she found the gaps and displayed her power hitting.
She has always been known for her power hitting, but her timing today (in the match) was noteworthy," he added. The WPL will witness its first double-header on Sunday when the Royal Challengers Bangalore will take on Delhi Capitals at 1530 hrs in Brabourne Stadium while UP Warriorz will face Gujarat Giants at 1930 hrs in DY Patil Stadium.