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After setting Delhi Capitals (DC) 165 to win in Match 2 of the Women's Premier League (WPL) 2025, Mumbai Indians (MI) were put to the sword by Shafali Verma, who looked in a destructive mood. She smashed Saika Sihaque for 22 runs in her first over and, in the end, finished with 43 off just 18 deliveries to set the tone.
However, MI head coach Charlotte Edwards says she is proud of the way her side pulled things back despite that onslaught.
"Looking at our bowling, our bowling options, I think, you know, Shafali played brilliantly, and I think that happens in T20 cricket, and that's what I was most proud of the group, how we responded. We didn't just give up. You know, we kept coming hard. We kept being aggressive with the ball," Edwards said at the post-match press conference.
Other than Nat Sciver-Brunt (80) and Harmanpreet Kaur (42) doing a superb job, none of the batters really stepped up. As a result, MI slipped 105/2 to 164 all out after a 73-run stand between the two veterans.
The stage was set for the middle and lower-order batters to take the score well beyond 200, but they failed. Edwards points to Kerr's run out at the non-striker's end as the turning point in the innings. "I think it's actually really hard when you follow a big partnership like Harman and Nat, they were making it look so easy, weren't they, and I think potentially, you know, that didn't help.
"I think the run out of Amelia Kerr was massive in this game. I think we were going really well, she's got a really calm head, and she would have got us up to that sort of 180-plus and allowed Nat to play more freely. Obviously, towards the end there, Nat had to farm the strike, and, you know, we had a couple of casualties there, run out. So yeah, not batting our overs out is obviously an issue, but no, it's certainly not a concern for me."
MI will hope to turn things around when they take on Gujarat Giants in their next match on February 18 (Tuesday).
