Skipper Harmanpreet 'really happy' after MI reach WPL 2025 final

After Mumbai Indians marched into their second WPL final with a 47run win over Gujarat Giants in the Eliminator captain Harmanpreet Kaur said she was really happy with the way her team played in Thursdayrsquos clash at the Brabourne Stadium On a fresh pitch knocks of 77 each from Hayley Matthews and Nat SciverBrunt along with a breathtaking 36 from captain Harmanpreet Kaur took MI to a massive 2134 In defence of the massive total Hayley shined by picking 331 as GG were bowled out for 166 in 192 oversldquoFeeling great it was a great team effort really happy with the way we played today Before the game I wanted to bat first But then we decided to chase whatever score is on the board if you show that trust you can chaserdquoldquoWhatever happened happened for good and Hayley and Nat did a good job setting it up for us They are great players they know how to play these kinds of games We dont need to tell them what they need to do Really happy with how they took responsibility and batted for the teamrdquoldquoBowlingwise we did well today All the bowlers they executed well and these are the things we wanted to do Next game is important and we need to again sit and think what went well for usrdquo said Harmanpreet in the postmatch presentation ceremonyHayley who was adjudged Player of the Match said she had plans up her sleeve to give her best with both bat and ball ldquoThink it was a really good game you got a lot of value for your shots as a batter We Nat and me worked hard to ease the pressure off of us With the ball I had my plans and tried to execute them as best as I couldrdquoldquoOne of those wickets where you were going to be able to put the ball away was trying to choose my areas and manipulated the field really well too I tried to control just one side of the field and varied my pace that is something we have been working on We were in their stephit zone quite a bit when the last time we played them lots of learnings from that and glad I was able to execute tonightrdquoAsked about her plans for MIrsquos second WPL final Hayley remarked ldquoCome back do our homework on DC they are a good team and a team that has gotten the better of us in the last two games Come back do our homework and then execute on the fieldrdquoNat who is now the tournamentrsquos leading rungetter said sticking to her strengths has been the key to her good showing with the bat ldquoNot really sure what I have done differently to be honest We have played a lot of cricket up until now away from this tournament Wickets are good outfields are quick that plays into the batters hands I guessrdquoldquoI was a bit disappointed that I did not hit sixes before that I guess my strengths are around hitting powerfully along the ground and that allows me to move the field around Just make it as difficult for the bowlers to bowl at me We would not have minded what happened at the toss we would have bowled as wellrdquoldquoBut to put runs on the board like that in a pressure game that is also a way to go about it Losing the toss today sets us up nicely for a good match in the final and we can take confidence from that When you are playing pressure games you want your more experienced players to stand up and that went well for us todayrdquoShe also acknowledged the support coming from head coach Charlotte Edwards ldquoShe has got great experience obviously but the best thing is that she tries to make everyone feel comfortable that has contributed to a great vibe around the grouprdquoThough the Gujarat Giants ended on the losing side and were out of reckoning for the final captain Ashleigh Gardner chose to reflect on the positives from this season ldquoThis group has got a lot to be proud of so many positive stories different people have stood up at different times An absolute pleasure to lead this side Young players putting their name up in lights that is what it is all about in tournaments like thisrdquoShe admitted that losing Deandra Dottin to injury five minutes before the toss happened wasnrsquot an ideal scenario and Danielle Gibson got a WPL debut ldquoObviously not ideal to lose someone who has been such an important part of the team Pretty much a likeforlike replacement in GibsonrdquoldquoShe Gibson was thrown into the deep end but she is the kind of personality that takes it headon I hope Dottin is okay She just hurt her knee but I hope she is alright for the next seriesrdquoQuizzed on how she prepared the team for the knockout clash Ashleigh revealed ldquoI just said lets not get overawed by the occasion This franchise has never been in the final but lets just embrace it Everyone was excited when we found out we qualified but today it was not to be We did not do all three facets well enough We missed opportunities with the ballhellipand with the bat we were shortrdquoShe signed off by expressing gratitude to fans for supporting the team well in WPL 2025 ldquoHopefully we are treading in the right direction For our fans who have backed us this season it was nice to get some wins and play in front of the home crowd Hopefully we can keep growing on that Just awesome to be involved in this franchise for three years and to see it grow exponentiallyrdquoThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever