WPL: Favourites Mumbai Indians take on Gujarat Giants in Eliminator
What's the story
The Women's Premier League (WPL) is all set for an exciting showdown as the Mumbai Indians (MI) take on the Gujarat Giants (GG) in the Eliminator match.
The winner will book a place in the final alongside the Delhi Capitals who have already qualified.
The high-stakes encounter will take place at MI's home ground, Brabourne Stadium, where they had earlier defeated GG by nine runs.
Here's more.
Captaincy
MI captain Harmanpreet Kaur's leadership
MI's captain, Harmanpreet Kaur, has played a crucial role in her team's campaign this season.
Her recent performance against GG, where she scored a quickfire 54 off just 33 balls and took her team home, has given her a lot of confidence.
Despite being a bit inconsistent this season, Kaur's leadership skills and ability to perform under pressure could prove to be vital in the upcoming knockout match against GG.
Game changers
Key players to watch in the Eliminator
MI's consistent team combination has played a major role in their successful campaign this season.
All-rounder Hayley Matthews, with her fiery opening knocks and off-spin, has been a major contributor.
Against GG in the past, she produced brilliant bowling figures of 3/16 and picked three wickets in the reverse fixture.
On the batting side, Nat Sciver-Brunt tops this season with 416 runs, including four fifties from eight matches.
Opponent's strategy
Gujarat Giants captain Ashleigh Gardner's challenge
GG's captain, Ashleigh Gardner, who replaced Beth Mooney this season, has a tough task at hand against MI.
Despite her patchy form this season, she is still among the top-five run-getters with 235 runs.
Her outing against MI on Monday was dismal as she was dismissed for zero, contributing to their loss and denying them a direct entry to the final.
Key match-up
Gujarat Giants's opening partnership
GG's hope for a strong start in the Eliminator lies on the shoulders of Mooney and Harleen Deol.
Mooney recently displayed her batting prowess with an unbeaten 96 against UP Warriorz and fans are eagerly looking forward to a solid opening partnership between her and Harleen.
This duo could be pivotal in GG's plans to clinch a win against MI at Brabourne Stadium today.
Star performers - MI
A look at top performers for Mumbai this season
As mentioned, Sciver-Brunt just crossed the 400-runs mark this season and is the tournament's leading scorer and MI's leading run-getter.
She owns 416 runs across eight innings at 69.33 and a strike rate of 151.82. She is followed by Matthews who owns 227 runs at 28.37 (SR: 119.47).
With the ball, Matthews leads with 14 wickets at 17.07, including two three-wicket hauls. Amelia Kerr trails Matthews with 14 wickets at 16.71 in eight innings.
Star performers - GG
Giants' star performers this season
For the Giants, Garnder tops the charts with 235 runs at 33.57, striking at 163.19 (eight innings).
Wicketkeeper-batter Mooney follows the skipper, having scored 231 runs at 33, in eight innings (SR: 128.33).
With the ball Kashvee Gautam tops the list for Gujarat with 10 wickets at 17 in eight innings. Deandra Dottin follows with nine scalps at 27.77.