Mumbai Indians (MI), led by Harmanpreet Kaur, stormed into their second TATA Women's Premier League 2025 final. They crushed Gujarat Giants (GG) by 47 runs in the 2025 Eliminator. Now, MI aims to become the first team to win two WPL titles. They will face Delhi Capitals (DC) in the final on March 15th, setting up a rematch of the 2023 championship clash.
MI Takes Control Early
From the start, MI dominated the game. After being put in to bat, they posted a record-breaking 213/4 in 20 overs, the highest total in WPL playoff history. Natalie Sciver-Brunt (77 off 41 balls) and Hayley Matthews (77 off 50 balls) led the charge with outstanding performances. Meanwhile, Matthews also excelled with the ball, taking 3/31. Additionally, Purple Cap holder Amelia Kerr picked up 2/28. MI’s sharp fielding resulted in three run-outs, which helped bowl out GG for 166.
Strong Start Despite Early Setback
GG, missing star player Deandra Dottin due to injury, chose to field first. At first, MI had a shaky start. Yastika Bhatia and Hayley Matthews got lucky when GG dropped their catches early. However, Bhatia’s luck ran out soon. In the fifth over, Danielle Gibson struck on her second ball, forcing Bhatia to hit one straight to Bharti Fulmali at mid-wicket. As a result, MI stood at 26/1.
Nevertheless, Matthews quickly regained control. She attacked Priya Mishra with three consecutive fours in the eighth over. At the other end, Sciver-Brunt also found her rhythm, hitting three boundaries off Gibson’s over. As the innings progressed, MI gained momentum. By the 11th over, they had reached 100/1. Matthews completed her fifty in 36 balls, while Sciver-Brunt soon followed, bringing up her fifth half-century of the season—the most by any player in a single WPL edition.
MI Finishes Strong
As the partnership grew, the duo kept accelerating. They added 123 runs off just 60 balls. Then, Matthews unleashed another powerful over, smashing two sixes and a four. However, Kashvee Gautam broke the stand when Mooney took a clean catch behind the stumps. Matthews departed for 77, but MI continued its onslaught.
Soon after, Harmanpreet Kaur joined Sciver-Brunt and kept the attack going. They added 39 runs in just 16 balls, benefiting from a couple of dropped catches. Although Sciver-Brunt fell in the 19th over for 77, Kaur took charge. Her blistering 36 off 12 balls, including four sixes, powered MI to 213/4—the highest WPL playoff total ever.
GG Struggles to Keep Up
MI carried its momentum into the second innings. Matthews immediately made an impact, taking a spectacular diving catch at slip off Shabnim Ismail’s delivery to dismiss Mooney. Soon after, a mix-up led to Harleen Deol’s run-out. Moments later, Matthews struck again, clean-bowling Ashleigh Gardner for just 8. By the end of the powerplay, GG was struggling at 43/3.
In response, Phoebe Litchfield and Danielle Gibson attempted to rebuild the innings. They played some impressive shots and momentarily steadied the chase. However, GG’s troubles continued. Another run-out, this time from Amanjot Kaur’s sharp fielding, sent Gibson back for 34. Shortly after, Kerr dismissed Litchfield. Then, another run-out of Kashvee Gautam summed up GG’s disastrous night.
With 102 runs needed from the final seven overs, GG had little hope. Bharti Fulmali (30 off 20) and Simran Shaikh (17 off 8) tried to fight back. Even so, Matthews and Kerr struck again, shutting down GG’s chances of a comeback. In the end, Matthews sealed the deal by taking the final wicket. MI secured a commanding 47-run win and marched into their second WPL final.