Mumbai Indians chased down 193 without blinking, and Harmanpreet Kaur was the reason it never became a scramble. In the highest successful run chase in Women’s Premier League history, Mumbai beat Gujarat Giants by seven wickets, finishing the job with four balls to spare. On paper, the target was steep. On the field, it rarely looked out of reach.
Harmanpreet’s unbeaten 71 off 43 balls was the innings that mattered. Not flashy, not frantic, and definitely not reckless. She took her time early, picked the gaps, and waited for Gujarat to lose their lengths. When they did, she capitalised. The boundaries came when they were needed, not when they were forced.
Gujarat had earned their total. Their batters attacked from the start and 192 was a strong score by any WPL standard. But their bowlers couldn’t apply sustained pressure. Mumbai kept wickets in hand, which meant the asking rate stayed under control even during the quieter overs.
This wasn’t a one-player show, though Harmanpreet was clearly in charge. Nicola Carey played her role at the other end, ensuring Mumbai didn’t do anything silly once the chase entered its final phase. There was no dramatic late surge because none was required.
The record books will note this as Mumbai Indians’ highest successful chase and the second-highest in WPL history overall. They’ll also note that Harmanpreet crossed 1,000 WPL runs, becoming the first Indian batter to reach the mark. Useful milestones, but secondary to the result. More telling is Mumbai’s continued dominance over Gujarat Giants, who are yet to find a way past them in the league. Time and again, Mumbai have shown they handle pressure better, plan chases better, and execute more cleanly.
For Harmanpreet, this was a captain’s innings in the strictest sense. She didn’t try to win the match in five overs. She stayed, assessed, and finished it. In this WPL, big totals don’t scare Mumbai. And as long as Harmanpreet Kaur is walking out in the middle with time on her side, they probably shouldn’t.
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