WPL 2025: UP Warriorz all however knocked out as Matthews, Kerr energy MI to 6-wicket win

Hayley Matthews smashed a 46-ball 68, whereas Amelia Kerr registered her greatest figures of 5/38 as Mumbai Indians stormed to a six-wicket win over UP Warriorz within the Girls’s Premier League right here on Thursday.

The previous champions chased down 151 in simply 18.3 overs, boosting their internet run fee and leaping to second within the desk with eight factors, two behind leaders Delhi Capitals with a sport in hand.

This was UP Warriorz’s third consecutive defeat, leaving them getting ready to elimination.

Chasing a modest 151 on a dew-laden Ekana Stadium, MI misplaced Amelia Kerr (10) early, however Matthews took cost, hammering a 35-ball fifty in a match-winning 92-run stand with Nat Sciver-Brunt, the partnership coming off simply 58 balls.

She performed fluently off the again foot, particularly by way of the off-side, and reached her second half-century of the season in opposition to UPW with a crisp boundary between level and cover-point.

She dismantled Chinelle Henry with a towering six over deep midwicket earlier than sweeping Sophie Ecclestone for back-to-back boundaries as MI raced to 50/1 within the powerplay.

Although UPW skipper Deepti Sharma pulled off a shocking catch to interrupt the partnership, dismissing Sciver-Brunt (37 from 23 balls), MI wanted simply 35 off 43 balls by then.

Within the subsequent over, Matthews tore into seamer Kranti Goud, smashing a boundary by way of deep cowl earlier than launching a six over deep backward sq. leg.

Nevertheless, her explosive 46-ball 68, laced with eight fours and two sixes, got here to an finish in the identical over.

However it was Yastika Bhatia (10 off six balls) who smashed UPW skipper Deepti Sharma for 2 boundaries within the penultimate over to seal the chase with 9 balls to spare.

Earlier, opting to bowl, MI turned the sport on its head with the New Zealand legspinner Kerr turning into the sixth participant in WPL historical past to bag a fifer.

At 74/0 in 7.5 overs, they seemed set for a 200-plus complete, with Voll (50 off 29) blazing her maiden WPL fifty.

Voll, taking part in simply her second sport, attacked Kerr with 4 consecutive boundaries, utilizing her toes aggressively after despatched into her most popular opening slot.

Nevertheless, MI struck again, taking three wickets in 14 balls.

Matthews eliminated Grace Harris (28) after being hit for a six, whereas Kerr dismissed Kiran Navgire (0) and Voll, who shuffled throughout for a scoop however was bowled by Sciver-Brunt’s slower ball, within the fifteenth over.

Kerr delivered the knockout punch within the ultimate over, choosing up two wickets, together with the in-form Chinelle Henry (6), who had smashed an enormous six earlier than falling into MI’s entice.

UPW crumbled from 74/0 to 150/9, dropping 9 wickets for simply 76 runs within the final 12.1 overs.