The much-awaited Women’s T20 League’s inaugural season finally got underway on Saturday, March 4, 2023, at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai. The first clash of the season was between Mumbai and Gujarat which witnessed a rampage from the Mumbai batters. However, many fans anticipated a thriller but that didn’t happen as the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side won the first match by a huge margin of 143 runs.
Talking about the match, Gujarat won the toss and opted to bowl first. But Mumbai opener Hayley Matthews and Nat Sciver Brunt provided a magnificent start to the innings which was later converted into a mammoth total of 207 runs by skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and Amelia Kerr as both stitched a fiery 89-run stand for the 4th wicket.
Brilliant batting performance by Harmanpreet Kaur
Kaur continued from where she left in the, recently concluded, Women’s 20-20 World cup semifinal against Australia. She smashed 65 runs off just 30 deliveries which included 14 fours. On the other hand, Kerr provided brilliant support to Kaur and played an outstanding knock of 45 runs off just 24 balls. She smashed 6 fours and 1 six during her innings.
Chasing the target, the Gujarat-based franchise got the first blow when skipper Beth Mooney got her ankle twisted and went back to the pavilion. After that, they lost wickets in a flurry and got bundled out on just 64 runs. Meanwhile, the opening game of the Women’s T20 League has many similarities to the first match of the Indian T20 League which was played between Kolkata and Bangalore in 2008.
Here’s a look at those 6 similarities.
- Just like Bangalore won the toss but lost the game in Indian T20 League, Gujarat also lost the match after opting to bowl first in the Women’s T20 League.
- The team which lost the toss was sent to bat first and cross the 200-run mark (222 by Kolkata in Indian T20 League, 207 by Mumbai in the Women’s T20 league.)
- The winning margin was over 140 runs in both matches (Kolkata won by 140 runs, and Mumbai won by 143 runs.)
- The losing team’s total was less than the winning team’s top-run-getter’s score (Brendon McCullum’s 158* was more than Bangalore’s 82, Harmanpreet’s 65 was more than Gujarat’s 64)
- The strike rate of the top-scorer of the match was almost the same (McCullum’s strike rate was 216.43, while Harmanpreet struck at 216.67.)
- The losing side’s innings finished in exactly 15.1 overs (Bangalore 82 all-out, Gujarat 64.)
