Gujarat Giants Women secure third consecutive win to make their entry into the Eliminator match, becoming another step closer to reaching the finals of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026. On Friday, January 30, GG Women defeated the Mumbai Indians by 11 runs. With the win, GG Women remain in second place with 10 points from five wins. MI Women, on the other hand, have been knocked out of their WPL campaign this season.
The GG Women batters had a troubled start in the first innings losing their opener Beth Mooney (5 off 8) in the third over. However, coming in next, Sophie Devine (25 off 21), and Anushka Sharma (33 off 31), started the momentum, followed by skipper Ashleigh Gardner with 46 off 28, while Georgia Wareham remained not-out at 44 runs off 26 balls. Joining Wareham in the undefeated strike was Bharti Fulmali (5* off 6). Meanwhile, MI Women bowlers, including Amelia Kerr, picked up two wickets, with Shabnim Ismail and Nat Sciver-Brunt adding one each.
Harmanpreet Kaur 82* effort fails to secure victory for MI
With 168 as the target score, MI Women batters made a decent start through opener Sajeevan Sajana, who scored 26 runs off 25 balls. But then came the disappointment as the team lost three of their batters in seven overs. The wicket included opener Hayley Matthews (6 off 8) and Sciver-Brunt (2 off 6). Meanwhile, skipper Harmanpreet Kaur turned over the innings after going undefeated at 82* in 48 balls. Kerr made a decent run with 20 off 16, followed by Amanjot Kaur scoring 13 runs off 12 balls.
However, the remaining three batters that came in next including Sanskriti Gupta (0 off 1), Poonam Khemnar (2 off 3), and Rahila Firdous (2* off 3) failed to continue the momentum which ended in MI Women’s loss. GG Women bowlers had a successful campaign in restricting their opponent’s bowling line-up at 156/7 in 20 overs. Devine and Wareham picked up two wickets each, while Kashvee Gautam, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, and Gardner added one.
With MI now out of contention, the decision now rests on the last league stage match between Delhi Capitals (DC) and UP Warriorz (UP-W) scheduled on February 1 at Vadodara. Meanwhile, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Women are resting as table-toppers, having secured the first spot in the finals of WPL 2026. Who will join RCB Women in the WPL 2026 finals? Is it DC or UP Warriorz? We all have one day left until the results are out.
