GG Women vs MI Women, 3rd Match at Bengaluru, WPL, Feb 25 2024 - Match Result

11:05pm That will be all from us, folks. We will be back tomorrow as the Delhi Capitals clash with the UP Warriorz. Until then, this is goodbye from me (Shashwat), Thilak and everyone else at ESPNcricinfo. Take care!

Harmanpreet Kaur, Mumbai Indians captain: We have a very balanced side, all the all-rounders are the best in their countries. She has been great so far. Whenever she (Ismail) has gotten the opportunity, she has wanted to contribute. Our bowlers complement each other and that is a positive. (On having as many as nine bowlers in the eleven) We are just going with the best match-ups. When you have such a long bowling line-up, you have to think who has the best match-up and then pick (the bowlers). We want them (the top order) to give us a solid start. It is just two games and I am sure they will bounce back.

Amelia Kerr, Player of the Match: When you are bowling later on in the innings, you can get hit but also get wickets. For me, it is about working out the conditions and going to variations. It came out well tonight. It (the googly) is something I practice, it is a useful option in T20 cricket, especially against left-handers. The way Shabs (Shabnim Ismail) started off, it allowed us to stay on top. Charlotte Edwards (MI head coach) asked me to just go out there and bat till the end. Just about backing my game and I tried to play low-risk cricket in that situation. (On playing for MI) It is an amazing franchise to play for. Amazing group of people, that is what I enjoy most. We have match-winners and we are fortunate to have so many. Nice to see so many people step up at different times.

Beth Mooney, Gujarat Giants captain: I was a bit nervous about the first game against Mumbai but got through it unscathed fortunately. (On the score) We let ourselves down in the first ten overs. Credit has to go to TK and Bryce to get us to a defendable total. We were 20 runs short in the end to make it a challenging chase. Lot to take away from the first innings. (On Bryce) She was very good tonight. She has been a great find, hopefully this is just a sign of things to come. Sometimes you have to take the result out, especially in a new team. It is disappointing to lose but we take the positives and move on to the next game. taking the emotion out of the result is really important.

Shabnim Ismail: I went back to Cape Town, worked with my bowling coach to start getting some swing. Happy it worked out. I am still working as hard as I can to contribute to my team. I have worked a lot (on getting swing) and happy I could do that today. (On switching to the Mumbai Indians) I don't like to put pressure on myself, I like to do my thing and keep things simple. It is not easy for Wong, and that my success is her success and her success is my success. (On the pitch) The pitch we played on the first day was better, it was quicker. The wicket was much slower tonight but there was movement. So, I decided to bowl a little fuller.

10:43pm A fairly comfortable win for the defending champions, despite losing a couple of wickets towards the end. They found themselves in a bit of early bother, with Yastika and Matthews both departing inside the powerplay. Sciver-Brunt, though, injected momentum and alleviated the pressure. Harmanpreet then got into her work and played a controlled hand, with Kerr providing her support through the middle overs.

The Giants just did not have enough runs to play with. Even when they picked up two early wickets, the required-run rate did not zing up to worrying proportions (from an MI perspective). Their fielding also left a bit to be desired. They will, however, be happy with how their bowlers adapted defending a low total, and they will go back to their hotel thinking that if they can put up good totals, they have the bowling attack to defend it.

Rana to bowl the penultimate over. MI need just four more runs to make it two out of two

Just five needed now

Amanjot strides out

Vastrakar on strike

Tahuhu to bowl her third

Just 17 more needed and MI have 30 balls to get there. A victory seems more a matter of when rather than if. Unless, of course, GG can produce something truly special in what remains of this game