West Indies captain Hayley Matthews once again proved her immense value with both bat and ball, as she played a pivotal role in Mumbai Indians’ six-wicket victory over UP Warriorz in their Women’s Premier League (WPL) clash in Lucknow on Thursday.
Matthews first struck with the ball, taking 2-25 in her four overs, as she partnered with Amelia Kerr (5-38) to put the brakes on UP Warriorz, restricting them to 150-9. She then delivered a blistering 46-ball 68, decorated with eight fours and two sixes, to power Mumbai Indians to 153-4 with nine balls to spare.
It was Matthews' second half-century of the tournament, both ironically coming against this same opponent.
Sent in to bat, UP Warriorz knew a win was crucial to keep their playoff hopes alive, and openers Grace Harris and Georgia Voll came out with intent. The duo put on a rapid 74-run partnership, which set a solid foundation.
However, it was Matthews who broke through, as she dismissed Harris for 28 off 25 balls (three fours, one six). Though Voll fought on with a well-constructed 55 off 33 balls, her dismissal by Nat Sciver-Brunt proved to be the turning point.
This as the Warriorz then suffered a dramatic collapse, losing five wickets for just 47 runs as Matthews and Kerr dismantled the middle order. From 74-1 to 121-6, the Warriorz went from dominance to despair.
Kerr was particularly ruthless, accounting for Kiran Navgire (0), captain Deepti Sharma (27), Dinesh Vrinda (10), and Chinelle Henry (6)—the West Indian all-rounder struggling to rediscover her early-season form. Matthews then bagged Shweta Sehrawat (0) before Kerr wrapped up the innings by dismissing Sophie Ecclestone, who contributed an 11-ball 16 to just get the Warriorz to the 150-mark.
In response, Mumbai Indians lost Kerr early (10) with the score at 24-1, but Matthews made sure there were no further hiccups. She formed a match-winning 92-run second-wicket stand with Sciver-Brunt, which took the game away from UP Warriorz.
Sciver-Brunt smashed a quickfire 37 off 23 balls, including seven boundaries, before she fell as one of two wickets for Grace Harris. Though Matthews was eventually dismissed with Mumbai Indians at 127-3 and captain Harmanpreet Kaur (4) departed cheaply, the damage was already done.
Amanjot Kaur (12 not out) and Yastika Bhatia (10 not out) calmly guided Mumbai home, sealing their fourth win of the season.
Harris ended with 2-11 from her two overs.
With the victory, Mumbai Indians remain second with eight points, just two behind leaders Delhi Capitals, who have played one match more. Meanwhile, UP Warriorz sit at the bottom of the table with four points, teetering on the edge of elimination.