The inaugural edition of the Women’s T20 League kicked off on Saturday at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai. Earlier in the day, the fans present in the stadium were treated to scorching performances by Bollywood actresses Kriti Sanon and Kiara Advani. Another headline performance by the popular singer AP Dhillon in the grand opening ceremony preceded the match action on Day 1 of the much anticipated Women’s T20 League.
A total of five franchises are taking part in the inaugural edition of the league that is to be played over the course of 23 days. 87 female cricketers, including a few big-name players, will play in 22 T20s, 20 in the league stage and two playoff games in the country’s first premier franchise T20 league for women.
Mumbai won the season-opener against Gujarat by runs
The first game of the season was played between Gujarat and Mumbai. Talking of the game, Gujarat won the toss and decided to bowl first, inviting Harmanpreet Kaur’s Mumbai to bat first, an invitation they accepted with open arms. The explosive opener Hayley Matthews’s quick-fire 47 of 31 balls gave the local team a great start. However, her partner Yastika Bhatia could not leave her mark on the opening game.
Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur came up with another of her specials as she hit 65 off just 30 deliveries. Finally, Amelia Kerr’s handy 45 off 24 took Mumbai to a mammoth total of 207/5 within 20 overs. Sneh Rana remained the pick of the bowlers for Gujarat as she gulped up two wickets, conceding 43 runs in her four overs.
In reply, Gujarat were off to a shaky start as skipper Beth Mooney had to retire hurt after dealing a blow. If losing their skipper prematurely was not enough, Gujarat also lost opener S Meghana for 2, while experienced campaigners Harleen Deol and Ashleigh Gardener were both dismissed for ducks. Dayalan Hemalatha, with an unbeaten 29 off 23 and Monica Patel, with 10 off 9 aside, no other Gujarat batter could reach double figures as Mumbai won the game by a mammoth margin of 143 runs bundling Gujarat out for 64. Saika Ishaque remained the pick of the bowlers with figure of 4/11 in 3.1 overs.
Here’s how fans reacted to Mumbai’s perfect start:
Well paid bambani
Cut light in next match ??— Lucifer morningstar ? (@vk_king_) March 4, 2023
IPL first match ? WPL first match
One team scoring 200+ and another team collapsing under 100
— Juilius Sneezer (@itsmewhocares11) March 4, 2023
Ambani ne isko bhi khareed liya kya?
— Cricket Fan 07 (@Manas_pr_sharma) March 4, 2023
Mi wpl team better than csk and haarcb man teams if we are being honest ?
— The Armor (@crazyleader049) March 4, 2023
Indians to PSL head.. pic.twitter.com/0fs0r4ycsf
— Himanshu (@Indo_Curiosity) March 4, 2023
— ????? ? (@NotOutVivek) March 4, 2023
Nice fixing by adani and Ambani as though nobody will notice
— Haniel Peter (@peter_haniel) March 4, 2023
Mumbai indians after winning first match of the tournament pic.twitter.com/F1rACmmQfI
— Sanket Shah (@SanketS64861430) March 4, 2023
