Mumbai, March 10 (IANS) Even though her team suffered a sixth consecutive loss to the Mumbai Indians in the Women’s Premier League (WPL), Gujarat Giants captain Ashleigh Gardner remained optimistic about getting the better of them in the knockouts after their narrow nine-run defeat at the Brabourne Stadium.

Opting to bat first, Mumbai Indians built a solid foundation, thanks to a steady start by Hayley Matthews (27 off 22) and Nat Sciver-Brunt (38 off 31). But it was captain Harmanpreet Kaur who took charge with a well-paced 54 off 33 balls, mixing innovative shots with powerful hitting. Amanjot Kaur played the perfect finisher’s role, smashing 27 off just 15 deliveries, while Yastika Bhatia’s 13 off four balls further boosted MI’s total of 179/6.

With a new opening pair of Kashvee Gautam and Beth Mooney, Gujarat hoped for a stable start. Mooney flicked Shabnim Ismail for an early boundary, but tight bowling from Mumbai soon put them under pressure. Mooney fell for just 7 off 9 balls, caught at cover off Hayley Matthews.

Harleen Deol injected some momentum with a fluent 24 off 17, but her dismissal, via DRS off Amelia Kerr, proved to be the turning point. Kashvee Gautam (10 off 14) struggled to find fluency before being stumped off debutant Sanskriti Gupta, while Gardner herself departed for a duck, edging Ismail to slip.

"We knew this was a high-scoring venue, and we could have kept them to 160. That’s what happens when you don’t save runs—it becomes crucial in the second innings. But we had the safety blanket of knowing we are in the finals, so we had the breathing room to try and win quickly," Gardner said after the match. "Bharti (Fulmali) showed what she is capable of, and that gives her plenty of confidence for the final. We hope to change our record against Mumbai in the big game."

With the match slipping away, Bharti Fulmali walked in at No. 7 and changed the script somewhat. She launched a breathtaking counterattack, smashing 61 off just 25 balls, becoming only the second batter in WPL history to score a fifty from No. 7 or lower.

Fulmali took on Mumbai’s experienced bowling attack with fearless stroke play, dispatching Amelia Kerr for a six and a four in a single over. She found support in Simran Shaikh (18 off 10) and Tanuja Kanwar (10 off 6), as Gujarat edged closer to an improbable victory.

With five overs to go, Gujarat needed 50 runs, and with Fulmali in full flow, Mumbai started feeling the pressure.

However, just when Gujarat seemed on the brink of something special, Fulmali fell at a critical juncture, miscuing a shot off Amelia Kerr. Tanuja Kanwar’s unfortunate run-out added to Gujarat’s woes, and despite Simran Shaikh’s six over long-on, Mumbai’s experience shone through in the final moments. Matthews cleaned up Shaikh, and Priya Mishra’s desperate review for an LBW decision didn’t change the result as she fell the very next ball, sealing Mumbai’s victory.

Player of the Match Harmanpreet Kaur credited Gujarat’s batters, particularly Fulmali, for making it a close contest.

"We bowled well in patches, but we should give credit to their batters; they kept the match on, and we have to learn from our mistakes. We will rethink what went wrong, and in the next game, we will learn from our mistakes. We got a decent total on the board, and we were in the game in the first 10 overs, but credit to Bharti for the way she batted today, and that is how the wicket plays here. It is always about the match-ups, and the most important thing is gut feeling and lucky to have a lot of experience in our bowling," said Harmanpreet after the match.

Mumbai’s bowlers played a crucial role, with Amelia Kerr (3-34), Hayley Matthews (3-38), and Shabnim Ismail (2-17) delivering under pressure.