Mumbai, March 11 : Even though her team suffered a sixth consecutive loss to the Mumbai Indians in the Women’s Premier League (WPL), Gujarat Giants captain Ashleigh Gardner remained optimistic about getting the better of them in the knockouts after their narrow nine-run defeat at the Brabourne Stadium.

Opting to bat first, Mumbai Indians built a solid foundation, thanks to a steady start by Hayley Matthews (27 off 22) and Nat Sciver-Brunt (38 off 31). But it was captain Harmanpreet Kaur who took charge with a well-paced 54 off 33 balls, mixing innovative shots with powerful hitting. Amanjot Kaur played the perfect finisher’s role, smashing 27 off just 15 deliveries, while Yastika Bhatia’s 13 off four balls further boosted MI’s total of 179/6.

With a new opening pair of Kashvee Gautam and Beth Mooney, Gujarat hoped for a stable start. Mooney flicked Shabnim Ismail for an early boundary, but tight bowling from Mumbai soon put them under pressure. Mooney fell for just 7 off 9 balls, caught at cover off Hayley Matthews.

Harleen Deol injected some momentum with a fluent 24 off 17, but her dismissal, via DRS off Amelia Kerr, proved to be the turning point. Kashvee Gautam (10 off 14) struggled to find fluency before being stumped off debutant Sanskriti Gupta, while Gardner herself departed for a duck, edging Ismail to slip.

"We knew this was a high-scoring venue, and we could have kept them to 160. That’s what happens when you don’t save runs—it becomes crucial in the second innings. But we had the safety blanket of knowing we are in the finals, so we had the breathing room to try and win quickly," Gardner said after the match. "Bharti (Fulmali) showed what she is capable of, and that gives her plenty of confidence for the final. We hope to change our record against Mumbai in the big game."