WPL: Giants' coach draws optimism from batting efforts despite loss
What's the story
Gujarat Giants have had a dismal start to their 2025 Women's Premier League (WPL) campaign, losing their opening match against defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).
Meanwhile, this is the third consecutive season that the Giants have started with a defeat.
However, this year's opener was different from the previous seasons as Mumbai Indians weren't their first opponents, and the match was closely fought till RCB's successful run-chase.
Match details
RCB's successful chase against Giants
RCB chased down a record target of 202 set by the Giants, winning with six wickets and nine balls to spare.
Despite the loss, the Giants's coach Michael Klinger was optimistic about his team's performance.
"If we bat like that, you know, throughout the tournament, we're going to win a lot of games of cricket. So that's a real positive to take out of the game," he stated as quoted by Cricbuzz.
Performance review
Giants's top-order impresses despite defeat
The Giants' batters fought valiantly against RCB's bowlers, adding a lot to their total of 201.
Beth Mooney led the charge with her 42-ball 56, while Deandra Dottin (25 off 13 balls) and Simran Shaikh (11 off five balls) also played their parts well.
But it was skipper Ash Gardner's show-stealing performance that stole the show as she hit a record eight sixes in the match, to finish on an unbeaten 79 off 37 balls.
Coach's perspective
Klinger praises Gardner's performance
Klinger also praised Gardner's performance, saying, "Ash's played well for about six to 12 months with the bat and she's come into this tournament really confident."
He also praised her strategic approach to the game, saying, "She picked her bowlers to target. She gave some strike to Beth when Beth was going really well. So as a pair, they batted really well together."
Match turning point
Fielding errors cost Giants the match
Despite a strong batting performance, fielding errors cost the Giants their victory.
Gardner managed to take out RCB openers Smriti Mandhana and Danni Wyatt-Hodge early in their chase.
However, dropped catches and missed run-out opportunities allowed RCB's Ellyse Perry and Richa Ghosh to turn the tide in their favor.
Klinger acknowledged these mistakes but defended his players by stating, "It's quite a bit of dew, which made it more difficult in the field fielding second."