MUMBAI, India, CMC – West Indies captain Hayley Matthews regained her scoring touch. Still, Mumbai Indians tasted defeat in the Women’s Premier League for the first time when they went down to UP Warriorz by five wickets here Saturday.
Sent in at the DY Patil Sports Academy, the leaders rallied to 127 all out off their 20 overs, with Matthews top-scoring with 35 from 30 deliveries at the top of the order and 20-year-old rising England star Issy Wong lashing a 19-ball 30.
In reply, UP Warriorz overhauled their target with three balls to spare thanks to Grace Harris, who struck 39 from 28 balls, and fellow Australian Tahlia McGrath who hit 38 from 25 deliveries.
The defeat ended Mumbai’s five-game unbeaten start to the campaign, while the victory was the third in six outings for UP Warriorz, leaving them third on six points – four behind leaders Mumbai.
Coming off scores of zero and 12 following a solid start to the tournament, Matthews smacked four and three sixes to spearhead the early scoring for Mumbai.
She put on 30 for the first wicket with Yastika Bhatia (7) before being third out at 57 in the 11th over, miscuing a heave at England left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone and falling to a catch behind.
Captain Harmanpreet Kaur chipped in with 25 from 22 balls, while Wong struck four fours and a six at number six. Still, wickets kept tumbling, Ecclestone (3-15), fellow left-arm spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad (2-16), and off-spinner Deepti Sharma (2-35) combining to dismantle the innings.
Matthews then struck with the first ball of the second over of the run chase when she had Devika Vaidya caught at slip for one, driving loosely with a single run on the board.
The dismissal sparked a slide that saw UP Warriorz slump to 27 for three in the seventh over before McGrath put on 44 for the fourth wicket with Harris, who then added 34 for the fifth wicket with Deepti (13) to steady the chase.
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