Harmanpreet's 82* in Vain as Gujarat Giants Beat MI, Enter WPL Playoffs

Opting to bat first, GG posted 167/4, thanks to skipper Ashleigh Gardner's 46 and Georgia Wareham's unbeaten 44. The pair's 71-run stand lifted the Giants past the 165-run mark, giving their bowlers a cushion to defend. MI faltered early in their chase as they slipped to 37/3 in seven overs.

But Harmanpreet staged a gusty fightback with a composed 82 not out off 48 balls - her sixth fifty against GG laced with eight fours and four sixes. But with wickets falling from the other end, Harmanpreet had to wage a lone battle, as GG ended a run of eight straight defeats to MI - something which came at a crucial stage of the season.

For GG, Sophie Devine and Georgia picked two wickets apiece as GG held their nerve in a tense finish, while Ashleigh defended 26 runs in the final over, despite being hit for two sixes by Harmanpreet. With a playoffs spot secured, GG celebrated the victorious moment by waving to their home crowd.

Chasing 168, Hayley Matthews opened her account with a boundary off Renuka Singh in the very first over, while Sajeevan Sajana flicked, cut and lofted to pick three quick boundaries. The breakthrough for GG came in the fifth over when had Hayley chopping on to her stumps for six. Sajana was next to fall - miscuing to mid-off against Kashvee Gautam, before Nat Sciver-Brunt pulled straight to mid-wicket off Sophie.

Harmanpreet Kaur walked in under pressure and immediately looked assured by taking boundaries off Georgia and Rajeshwari Gayakwad. Amelia Kerr provided support by cutting and pulling to get her boundaries. But Georgia broke the 45-run stand in the 12th over when Amelia went for a cut, but was smartly caught by Beth Mooney behind the stumps.

Harmanpreet, however, continued to anchor the chase - slog-sweeping and driving her way, before sweeping Rajeshwari for six to bring up her 11th WPL fifty and sixth against GG. But GG fought back when Amanjot Kaur was stumped off Rajeshwari in the 17th over, while Sanskriti Gupta fell lbw to Wareham without scoring.

But Harmanpreet kept the chase alive by carving Sophie for two boundaries in the 19th over. With 26 needed off the final over, Harmanpreet launched Gardner for two towering sixes off full tosses - one over mid-wicket and another over extra cover - raising expectations of a dramatic heist for MI. But Ashleigh held her nerve, dismissing Poonam Khemnar in caught and bowled mode, before restricting Rahila Firdous to a single off the last ball and trigger joyful celebrations in the GG camp.

Brief Scores: Gujarat Giants 167/4 in 20 overs (Ashleigh Gardner 46, Georgia Wareham 44 not out; Amelia Kerr 2-26, Shabnim Ismail 1-29) beat Mumbai Indians 156/7 in 20 overs (Harmanpreet Kaur 82 not out, Sajeevan Sajana 26; Sophie Devine 2-23, Georgia Wareham 2-26) by 11 runs

- IANS