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New Delhi: Gujarat Giants defeated Mumbai Indians by 11 runs to qualify for the Eliminator of the Women's Premier League (WPL) 2026 at the BCA Stadium in Kotambi on Friday, January 30. They also registered their maiden victory against MI in the history of the WPL.
Gardner smashed 46 runs off 28 balls, and Wareham also scored 44 runs from 26 balls as the pair forged a crucial 71-run partnership to rescue the Giants from a mid-innings slump and help them to post 167/4 after opting to bat.
MI's fate will be decided on Sunday when Delhi Capitals will face UP Warriorz in the last league match. A victory for Delhi will confirm their Eliminator spot, while a win for the UP Warriorz will help Mumbai. The Warriorz have the worst net run rate in the league, but still have an outside chance to qualify if they manage to register a big win. Royal Challengers Bengaluru have already sealed a direct spot in the final after finishing in the first position with six victories from eight matches.
Chasing a 168-run target on a tricky pitch proved difficult for the defending champions, who were restricted to 156/7 in 20 overs. Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur played a sensational knock and scored an unbeaten 82 runs off 48 balls with the help of eight boundaries and four maximums.
Mumbai got off to a poor start as Sophie Devine cleaned up Hayley Matthews in her opening over and then dismissed Nat Sciver-Brunt for just 2 runs as Anushka Sharma took a fine catch near the deep square-leg boundary.
Sajeevan Sajana smashed Kashvee Gautam over deep midwicket and through point, but the young seamer dismissed her in the final ball of the over. Wareham stopped the run-scoring in the middle overs, dismissing Amelia Kerr for 20 and Sanskriti Gupta for a duck. Gardner also picked up one wicket in three overs.
The MI needed 37 runs off the last two overs, with skipper Harmanpreet well set, but the defending champions fell short. She smacked Gardner for two maximums in the last over, but they suffered their first-ever defeat against Gujarat.
Earlier, the Giants looked in trouble and lost two set batters, Anushka Sharma for 33 runs and Sophie Devine for 25, in quick succession after opting to bat first. Amelia Kerr and Shabnim Ismail bowled brilliantly as the run-rate dipped sharply.
With momentum slipping away for the Giants, skipper Ashleigh took on Hayley Matthews and smashed her for 19 runs. She then played attacking shots against Shabnim, hitting four boundaries in a 17-run over as GG set a 168-run target, which proved challenging for MI.
