The idiom ‘there’s always a first time’ applies to Gujarat Giants as they couldn’t have picked a better opportunity to register their first win over Mumbai Indians Women in the history of the Women’s Premier League (WPL). In a must-win battle to stay alive in the tournament, Gujarat brought their A-game to the fore to beat the defending champions by 11 runs in Match 19 of the WPL 2026 on Friday, January 30 at the BCA Stadium, Kotambi, Vadodara.
Mumbai, tasked with chasing a target of 168 on a two-tier surface, struggled throughout their innings with none other than skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (82* off 48) managing to set the wickets right. Despite her Herculean effort to save her side, MI were eventually restricted to 156/7 in their 20 overs as Sophie Devine (2/23) and Georgia Wareham (2/26) took two wickets each for Gujarat.
WPL 2026: MI-W vs GG-W Update
As a result, Gujarat finally ended their long winless run against Mumbai and recorded their first victory over the two-time champions after losing eight consecutive matches. With this crucial win, they secured second place in the points table and will next appear in the Eliminator for a place in the finals.
Earlier in the day, Gujarat Giants endured a shaky start to their innings when they lost Beth Mooney (5 off 8) early after she was caught at mid-wicket by Shabnim Ismail. After an early setback, Anushka Sharma (33 off 31) and Sophie Devine (25 off 21) put on a 48-run partnership for the second wicket off 43 deliveries to steady the innings.
Anushka looked well set for a big score but ended up mis-hitting Amelia Kerr and was caught at long-on. Well-set Sophie Devine was dismissed in the very next over and pulled Nat Sciver-Brunt straight to Amelia Kerr at deep mid-wicket, leaving Gujarat reeling at 71/3 after 10.1 overs.
After a double strike, captain Ashleigh Gardner was joined in the middle by Georgia Wareham. The duo provided the much-needed impetus to the innings and put together a vital 71-run stand off 43 balls for the fourth wicket. Gardner narrowly missed out on a well-deserved half-century, getting 46 (28) against Amelia Kerr, who finished with figures of 2/26.
Wareham (44* off 26) provided a strong finish for Gujarat Giants, guiding them to a competitive total of 167/4 at the end of their 20 overs.
– The end
Issued by:
Rishabh Beniwal
Published on:
January 30, 2026
