MUMBAI Indians skipper Harmanpreet Kaur set the tone for the maiden edition of the Women’s Premier League(WPL) with a blistering 30-ball 65, which included 14 boundaries, as her side defeated Gujarat Giants by a comprehensive 143-run margin.

Apart from Harmanpreet, Hayley Matthews and Amelia Kerr struck impressive 40s as MI posted a massive 207/5 on the board at the DY Patil Stadium on Saturday.

The Giants came nowhere close, as they finished with 64, with Saika Ishaque bagging the first four-fer of the WPL. The Giants were also left worried as their captain Beth Mooney suffered an injury in the first over of the chase and retired hurt.

Harmanpreet’s innings was all about fluency after that as she drove, swept, pulled and cut with confidence for a flurry of boundaries. Amelia Kerr also got into the act, scoring four boundaries en route to a half-century stand that was raised off only 25 deliveries. Be it the overseas bowlers or the Indians, both batters treated them with equal disdain, with Monica feeling the brunt of their attack as she conceded 21 runs in the 15th over.

Harmanpreet, who brought up a 22-ball fifty, struck seven fours on the trot during her innings but she eventually got out to Rana. Kerr and Pooja Vastrakar, however, struck as many as five fours and a six in the last three overs and Issy Wong finished it off with a six to power MI to a big total.

Matthews struck the first of her four sixes and a four off Mansi Joshi in the second over but the Giants kept it tight otherwise, giving away only 17 in the first three overs. The arrival of Nat Sciver-Brunt gave MI some momentum as she played a cracking pull off Joshi and then struck two successive fours off Monica Patel.

Matthews fell three short of a fifty as she was bowled trying to cut an Ashleigh Gardner delivery, leaving MI at 77/3 at the halfway stage of the innings before Harmanpreet’s brilliant innings and Kerr’s equally important contribution helped MI amass 130 in the second half of the innings.

In the very first over of the chase, Giants’ best batter Mooney had to leave the field after twisting her leg. Sciver-Brunt dismissed Harleen Deol for a duck off a leading edge while Issy Wong delivered a big blow by having Ashleigh Gardner caught at slip without scoring. Sciver-Brunt bagged her second by having Sabbhineni Meghana bowled while left-arm spinner Saika Ishaque picked up the wicket of Sutherland, with the Giants reduced to 17/4 at the end of the powerplay.

Dayalan Hemalatha tried to delay the inevitable, scoring a 23-ball 29 not out, but the Giants hurtled to a big defeat, with Saika bagging the last two wickets. (Cricbuzz)