Historically, Mumbai Indians have dominated against Gujarat Giants, winning all four previous encounters, including a thrilling last-ball heist in 2024. However, GG have shown early promise in this edition and will be eager to turn the tide, when they face the 2023 champions on Tuesday. Unlike their sluggish start in 2024, where they had to wait five matches for a win, GG registered their first victory in just their second game this time, comfortably defeating UP Warriorz. However, their death bowling remains a concern, with RCB plundering 79 runs off the last 4.3 overs in their opening game loss and UPW smashing 26 in the final eight deliveries of their innings.

Ashleigh Gardner, GG’s captain, will be looking for stronger performances from the top order after their top three combined for just 22 runs against UPW. On the bright side, Deandra Dottin has made an immediate impact in her maiden WPL season, striking at an explosive rate in both outings. Her finishing prowess could be key if GG hope to break their MI jinx.

MI’s campaign began with a narrow loss against Delhi Capitals, marred by three contentious run-out decisions. Despite a flying start led by Nat Sciver-Brunt’s unbeaten 80 and Harmanpreet Kaur’s 42, MI stuttered to 164, with four of their top seven batters falling for single-digit scores. The team will look for more consistent contributions across the batting lineup against GG.

Bowling remains MI’s biggest strength, with four of the top six all-time WPL wicket-takers in their squad: Hayley Matthews (25), Saika Ishaque (24), Amelia Kerr (24), and Sciver-Brunt (21). Their experience and depth will be crucial in countering GG’s batting lineup.

After a modest Ashes campaign, Sciver-Brunt returned to form with a fluent 80* against Delhi. MI will hope for another match-winning knock.

Gardner, the only GG player to achieve the 300-run, 20-wicket double in WPL history, she will be key with both bat and ball.

Deandra Dottin has been a game-changer so far, scoring quick runs in the middle order with an impressive strike rate of 187.09.

The MI captain led from the front with a blistering 95 in their last encounter against GG. Her leadership and middle-order stability will be vital.

Gujarat Giants will seek more runs from their top-order to extend their belligerent run with the bat while Mumbai Indians will look to hit their strides after a tough opener in the Women’s Premier League in Vadodara on Tuesday. Gujarat Giants, who finished last in the previous two seasons, seem to have fix their batting woes with Australian all-rounder Ashleigh Gardner doing the heavy lifting in the first two games. Beth Mooney has scored a fifty at the top of the order but her opening partner Laura Wolvaardt is yet to come good.

Giants amassed 201 in their opening game but still lost before Gardner ensured they gunned down a 144-run target rather comfortably.

The pressure is increasing on the Indian batters to deliver especially number three D Hemalatha.

With the ball as well, captain Gardner has led from the front and has got good support from leg-break bowler Priya Mishra.

Mumbai Indians, on the other hand, would like to put the controversy over multiple run-outs in their tournament opener behind when they take the field against Giants.

The positives from their last-ball loss to Delhi Capitals came via Nat Sciver Brunt and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, who both seemed at their destructive best.

Making a comeback from injury, opener Yastika Bhatia needs to have a productive season. Mumbai Indians will also expect more from the lower middle order comprising Sajeevan Sajana and Amanjot Kaur.

Skipper Harmanpreet had rued the lack of partnerships in the middle phase that led to Mumbai Indians losing their way after batting first against Delhi Capitals.

“Playing full 20 overs and whoever is there, that batter should bat till the end. Even myself I should have continued till the end. Our batters need to take more responsibility in the next game,” she said.

On the bowling front, Mumbai Indians can always rely on South Africa pacer Shabnim Ismail, who remains as potent as ever despite retiring from international cricket in 2023.

Gujarat Giants: Beth Mooney (wk), Laura Wolvaardt, Dayalan Hemalatha, Ashleigh Gardner (c), Deandra Dottin, Simran Shaikh, Harleen Deol, Tanuja Kanwar, Sayali Satghare, Priya Mishra, Kashvee Gautam, Meghna Singh, Danielle Gibson, Phoebe Litchfield, Mannat Kashyap, Shabnam Shakil, Prakashika Naik, Bharti Fulmali.

Mumbai Indians: Hayley Matthews, Yastika Bhatia (wk), Nat Sciver-Brunt, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Amelia Kerr, Sajeevan Sajana, Amanjot Kaur, Jintimani Kalita, Sanskriti Gupta, Shabnim Ismail, Saika Ishaque, Keerthana Balakrishnan, Chloe Tryon, Parunika Sisodia, Amandeep Kaur, G Kamalini, Akshita Maheshwari, Nadine de Klerk.

Taking a dig at the controversial run-out decisions that played a big role in her team’s last-ball, two-wicket loss to Delhi Capitals, Mumbai Indians coach Charlotte Edwards said it was “really hard” to comprehend such calls that affect the eventual outcome of the match. Three controversial run-out decisions sparked a debate as Delhi Capitals edged past MI in a WPL match on Saturday, raising concerns over the interpretation of the LED stump rules.

Third umpire Gayathri Venugopalan ruled three DC batters — Radha Yadav, Arundhati Reddy and Shikha Pandey — not out, seemingly disregarding the moment the LED stumps first lit up after the ball made initial contact with the wickets.

“You’ve got to stay pretty calm. It is really hard when there are many decisions to go to the third umpire. The result of the game is looking at the big screen,” said Edwards, the two-time World Cup-winning England skipper, after MI’s narrow defeat.

“It’s pretty hard. I’ve played the game and been around the game to know…it’s the game and we just have to move on. We look forward to playing on Tuesday,” she added.

While commentating on the match, former India captain Mithali Raj also had observed that decisions on Arundhati and Radha Yadav should have gone in MI’s favour.

The WPL 2025 rules state that a wicket is considered broken at the first frame when the LED stumps light up, but in all three cases here, the umpire made decisions based on a second frame when the bails were fully dislodged.

The first controversy surfaced in the 18th over when Pandey’s bat was on the crease line as the LED stumps lit up, but the umpire ruled not out based on the second frame. However, she was run out for two in the next over.

But decisions with far bigger ramifications followed.

In the 19th over, Radha dived and he bat was still up in the air when the stumps were first illuminated, but the third considered the next frame where the bat was grounded when the bails were fully dislodged to give the batter not out.

A similar decision in the final ball of the 20th over saw Arundhati deemed safe despite her bat being on the crease line when the LED lights on the stumps first flashed, as the DC batter was running in for the second run.

The decisions worked in favour of DC, as Radha (nine not out) Arundhati (two not out) secured a dramatic last-ball win.

MI skipper Harmanpreet Kaur looked frustrated but did not formally protest.

Former RCB director of cricket Mike Hesson also expressed his disbelief over the umpire’s decision.

“Not sure why the umpire tonight has decided that the zinger bails are not applicable? Once bails lights up connection is lost therefore the wicket is broken! That is in the playing conditions! Have seen more confusion in the last 10 mins than ever before,” he posted on X.

Earlier, Nat Sciver-Brunt remained unbeaten on 80, dominating alongside Harmanpreet (42), before DC recaptured the momentum to restrict former champions to 164.

Edwards rued the fact that they could not add a few more runs in the backend of the innings.

“It was actually hard when a big partnership like that of Harman (Harmanpreet Kaur) and Nat (sciver-brunt) was broken. They were making it look easy, weren’t they? Potentially that didn’t help. I think the runout of (Amelia) Kerr was a massive point in this game.

“We should have gotten to 180 , which we didn’t, and that hurt us in the end. Shafali (Verma) played brilliantly. But that’s T20 cricket,” she observed.

“There will be a lot of stuff I’d want the team to continue to do, just a few areas where we need to sharpen up, which we’ll do over the next couple of days. Looking forward to our game against Gujarat,” said Edwards who guided them to the title in the inaugural WPL in 2023.

Veteran Shikha who started Mumbai’s slide removing openers Hayley Matthews and Yastika Bhatia, lauded the team effort.

“We are still not at full strength and have some superstars who couldn’t play today. And to get a team like MI which is paying on full strength all out was amazing,” she said.

The Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2025 campaign is off to a flier, with the Delhi Capitals vs Mumbai Indians encounter on Saturday turning out to be an absolute thriller. DC edged MI by the narrowest of margins, with a last-ball run-out decision that went in the Delhi franchise’s favour sealing the fate of the game. Delhi got off to a fiery start, thanks to Shafali Varma before composed knocks by Niki Prasad and Sarah Bryce helped the team secure a two-wicket win against MI. However, the match didn’t end without controversy, with a section of fans on social media suggesting that the run-out appeal a the end should’ve gone in Mumbai’s favour. 

Chasing 165, DC was left 109/5 in 14.5 overs despite a fine 60-run opening stand. However, Niki Prasad and Sarah took down the equation to 10 runs off the last over despite wickets falling at the other end. With two runs needed on the final ball, the pair of Arundhati Reddy and Radha Yadav completed a risky double, the result of which made headlines. 

Arundhati hit the ball over the off-side, over the heads of the fielders inside the circle. It was MI captain Harmanpreet Kaur who ran after the ball and threw it towards the keeper’s end. As Arundhati dived to complete the double, the Zing bails seemed to have illuminated before her bat had fully crossed the crease.

pic.twitter.com/C1XfOSlj5I

— Lolzzz (@CricketerMasked) February 15, 2025

In older times, a batter was given out when the bails lost contact with the stumps but in the ongoing WPL, the lighted-up Zing bails signify that there’s no contact between them and the stumps. Hence, this can be used as a method to consider if a batter is out or not.

The rule states: “Where LED Wickets are used (as provided for in paragraph 3.8.1.5), the moment at which the wicket has been put down (as per clause 29.1) shall be deemed to be the first frame in which the LED lights are illuminated and subsequent frames show the bail permanently removed from the top of the stumps.”

After the match, Delhi Capitals co-owner Parth Jindal thanked the third umpire for keeping calm while making the tough decision at the end. 

Irrespective of the result in the ongoing WPL i must applaud the 3rd umpire who is absolutely world class – to make that kind of decision and to take the replay so many frames back under so much pressure is world class @wplt20 @DelhiCapitals

— Parth Jindal (@ParthJindal11) February 15, 2025

But, Arundhati was given not-out. In the process, Delhi secured a win by 2 wickets.

Riding high on a dominant performance against the West Indies, India under Smriti Mandhana will look to carry forward their winning momentum when they take on Ireland in the first-ever women’s bilateral series, with the opening ODI scheduled here on Friday. India had swept the West Indies 3-0 in the ODI series, following a 2-1 triumph in the T20 series. Mandhana emerged as the top run-scorer across both formats, scoring 148 runs in the ODI series, including two half-centuries, and amassing 193 runs in the T20s, with three successive fifties.

Notably, she scored five consecutive half-centuries, only missing out in the final ODI and Mandhana will look to bring the same form as she leads the team in the absence of regular captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who has been rested alongside fast bowler Renuka Singh.

With Kaur and Renuka missing, the responsibility shifts to the rest of the batters, including Harleen Deol, Pratika Rawal, and Jemimah Rodrigues, to step up.

Deol was the top scorer in the ODI series with 160 runs, including a brilliant 115, while Rawal and Rodrigues also had solid outings, scoring 134 and 112 runs, respectively, with a fifty each in the ODIs.

In the bowling department, Renuka’s absence will be felt as she was the leading wicket-taker with 10 wickets in the ODI series against the West Indies.

The onus will now fall on newcomers Titas Sadhu and Saima Thakor to make their mark.

Sadhu, 20, who has three wickets in ODIs and 13 wickets in T20Is, will be expected to provide early breakthroughs, having impressed with her pace and swing in domestic and recent international cricket. Saima, 28, will also look to continue her good form after taking seven wickets in eight ODIs so far.

Vice-captain and off-spinner Deepti Sharma will be crucial, especially after her career-best bowling performance of 6 for 31 in the third ODI against the West Indies. Priya Mishra and Tanuja Kanwar will play key roles in supporting Deepti.

Eyes will also be on all-rounders Raghvi Bist and Sayali Satghare, who have been included in the squad for this series. Bist has the ability to score quickly and is also a reliable fielder. She will look to seize the opportunity after making her debut in the WI T20 series.

Ireland, led by Gaby Lewis with all-rounder Orla Prendergast as her deputy, will face a tough challenge against India.

The Irish team has never beaten India in the 12 ODIs they have played against them, with India winning their last encounter in the 2023 T20 World Cup by a narrow five-run margin.

However, the Irish team boasts some quality all-rounders, with Prendergast likely to be a key player. Having gained experience in Australia and the WBBL, she will look to bring that to the fore as Ireland takes on the formidable India at home.

Squads:

India: Smriti Mandhana (C), Deepti Sharma (VC), Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Jemimah Rodrigues, Uma Chetry (wk), Richa Ghosh (wk), Tejal Hasabnis, Raghvi Bist, Minnu Mani, Priya Mishra, Tanuja Kanwer, Titas Sadhu, Saima Thakor, Sayali Satghare.

Ireland: Gaby Lewis (C), Ava Canning, Christina Coulter Reilly, Alana Dalzell, Laura Delany, Georgina Dempsey, Sarah Forbes, Arlene Kelly, Joanna Loughran, Aimee Maguire, Leah Paul, Orla Prendergast, Una Raymond-Hoey, Freya Sargent, Rebecca Stokell. 

Smriti Mandhana in action© BCCI

File image of Smriti Mandhana.© BCCI

Dubai:

India’s vice-captain Smriti Mandhana has surged three places to second in the latest ICC Women’s ODI rankings while climbing one spot to third among T20I batters, following her stellar displays against Australia and the West Indies. The left-hander struck 105 in the final match of the series against Australia in Perth and 54 in the first game of the ongoing T20I rubber against the West Indies in Mumbai to headline the latest rankings update released here on Tuesday.

Mandhana is the lone Indian batter in the top 10 as her skipper Harmanpreet Kaur moved down two spots to 13th while Jemimah Rodrigues climbed six places to 15th and Harleen Deol moved up nine rungs to 64th Among bowlers, Deepti Sharma has slipped two spots to five.

India seam bowler Arundhati Reddy has shot up 48 places to 51st after a haul of four for 26 while Renuka Thakur has moved up from 28th to joint 26th.

England opener Tammy Beaumont advanced two places to 11th after an unbeaten 65 helped clinch the South Africa series 2-1.

Ashleigh Gardner has moved up one place to 16th with a 50 in Perth, Tahlia McGrath has progressed from 32nd to 24th with an unbeaten 56, and Annabell Sutherland is up 15 places to 29th after a match-winning 110.

Gardner is also up two places to a career-best-equalling third position in the bowling rankings with a haul of five for 30 and has moved up from fourth to second in the all-rounders’ list. Sutherland is in the top 20 of the bowling rankings.

Others to move up in this list include South Africa’s Marizanne Kapp, who has gained two slots to reach fourth position after a haul of three for 24, and the England trio of Charlie Dean (up two places to seventh), Nat Sciver Brunt (up one place to 16th) and Lauren Bell (up four places to 21st)

Kaur moves back into top 10

In the T20I rankings, Kaur is in the top 10 and Rodrigues has gained six slots to reach 15th position after a fine 73 against the West Indies.

In the bowling rankings, Deepti has moved up two places to take the second position in the bowling rankings and Titas Sadhu is up to 52nd.

For the West Indies, all-rounder Deandra Dottin has advanced 21 places to 59th after a half-century while Qiana Joseph (up 22 places to 65th among batters) and Karishma Ramharack (up six places to 20th among bowlers) are other notable gainers.

With Yastika Bhatia, Shreyanka Patil and Priya Punia unavailable due to injuries, the selection committee was forced to make some major changes for the upcoming six-match white-ball series against the West Indies Women to be played from December 15. In the T20I squad, the selectors brought in Nandini Kashyap, Sajana Sajeevan and Raghvi Bist as replacements in the 15-member squads for the upcoming series. Harmanpreet Kaur will continue to lead the squad with Smriti Mandhana, who struck a century in the third and last ODI in Australia, will remain the vice-captain.

“The Women’s Selection Committee has picked India’s 15-member squads for the upcoming three-match T20I & ODI home series against West Indies,” the BCCI joint secretary Devajit Saikia informed in a release on Friday.

India’s squad for the three T20I series against West Indies: Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Nandini Kashyap, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (WK), Uma Chetry (WK), Deepti Sharma, Sajana Sajeevan, Raghvi Bist, Renuka Singh Thakur, Priya Mishra, Titas Sadhu, Saima Thakor, Minnu Mani, Radha Yadav

India Women and West Indies Women will play the three T20Is at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on December 15, 17 and 19, 2024.

In the ODI squad, the selectors picked Pratika Rawal and Tanuja Kanwer while retaining Tejal Hasabnis, who had come in as replacement for Yastika.

India’s squad for the three T20I series against West Indies: Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Nandini Kashyap, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (WK), Uma Chetry (WK), Deepti Sharma, Sajana Sajeevan, Raghvi Bist, Renuka Singh Thakur, Priya Mishra, Titas Sadhu, Saima Thakor, Minnu Mani, Radha Yadav

India’s squad for the three ODI series against West Indies: Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Pratika Rawal, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harleen Deol, Richa Ghosh (WK), Uma Chetry (WK), Tejal Hasabnis, Deepti Sharma, Minnu Mani, Priya Mishra, Tanuja Kanwer, Titas Sadhu, Saima Thakor, Renuka Singh Thakur

The three ODIs will be played on December 22, 24 and 27 at the Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara.

A battered and bruised India will look to avoid a clean sweep and address some glaring issues ahead of next year’s 50-over World Cup at home when they face Australia in the third and final women’s ODI in Perth on Wednesday. The three-match series against the seven-time defending world champions has served as a harsh reality check for India, who have faltered in batting, bowling and fielding, with each area contributing to their struggles.

A record 122-run defeat in the second ODI highlighted India’s vulnerability. Even thought the batters shone in patches, they never truly looked to chase down Australia’s 371/8.

In batting, the biggest disappointment has come from India’s two big stars — skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and her deputy Smriti Mandhana.

Mandhana has capped scores of 8 and 9 in Australia following her century in India’s 2-1 home series win over New Zealand in October. The flamboyant opener had been in fine form earlier this year, scoring 450-plus runs at a 70-plus average and she would look to regain her form.

Harmanpreet, on the other hand, failed to convert her starts with 57 runs from two matches as her captaincy and batting both have come under scrutiny following India’s early exit from the T20 World Cup earlier this year.

In absence of out-of-form opener Shafali Verma, India tried out some different combination and the bright spot has been the promising return of Richa Ghosh, who slammed a spirited fifty at the top in the last ODI.

Richa’s 54 has been the highest score by an Indian batter in the series, in stark contrast to the two centuries and two fifties scored by Australian batters, highlighting the Amol Muzumdar-coached side’s batting struggles.

In the opening ODI, only four Indian batters could reach double digits.

The bowlers have also been off the mark, conceding eight runs in wides in the second ODI. The Indians were also guilty of dropping several crucial catches, allowing Australia to amass their third-highest ODI total of all time.

“We need to bat a bit longer and bat a full 50 overs moving forward.In bowling, we need to go back and think about plans,” Harmanpreet said after the last game.

Australia’s next generation has stepped up in style in the series, with the Tahlia McGrath-led side delivering a dominant performance despite missing regular skipper Alyssa Healy.

Uncapped 21-year-old Georgia Voll, handed the opener’s role in Healy’s absence, has been a revelation.

On her debut in the first ODI, she displayed remarkable composure, anchoring a modest 101-run chase with an unbeaten 46.

Voll followed it up with a stunning maiden century, forming a formidable partnership with veteran Ellyse Perry as the duo dismantled India’s struggling bowling attack.

For India, rookie leg-spinner Priya Mishra has been a bright spot in an otherwise challenging series. The 20-year-old has shown promise, picking up two wickets while defending a small total.

India: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Priya Punia, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harleen Deol, Uma Chetry, Richa Ghosh (wk), Tejal Hasabnis, Deepti Sharma, Minnu Mani, Priya Mishra, Radha Yadav, Titas Sadhu, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh Thakur and Saima Thakor.

Australia: Tahlia McGrath (c), Ashleigh Gardner (vc), Darcie Brown, Kim Garth, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll and Georgia Wareham Match starts 8.50 am IST.