MUMBAI: Gujarat Giants captain Beth Mooney won the toss and elected to bowl against Mumbai Indians in the opening match of the inaugural Women’s Premier League (WPL) at DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai on Saturday.
It is a historic day for women’s cricket with the first match of franchise-based T20 league being played in India. The cricket fans were treated to a spectacular star-studded opening ceremony with Kiara Advani, Kriti Sanon and AP Dhillon performing in front of a packed stadium.
Mooney said she is thrilled to be part of WPL.
“We will bowl. Looks pretty even with the grass, it’s a hard and flat surface, with plenty of runs here. Absolutely thrilled to be part of (WPL), a big crowd and I’m loving it. We have an entertaining group, we speak a lot about cricket. We have had the experience of playing in front of a big ground, we can pass it on to the younger members. Three seamers and four spinners in our playing XI today. We are looking at taking some early wickets,” Mooney said after winning the toss.
Mumbai Indians Captain Harmanpreet Kaur said the pitch has something for bowlers and is a good wicket to bat on.
“It’s a special day for all of us, want to enjoy this moment. This is a good wicket to bat on, but there will be something in it for the bowlers as well. We have some young players who’ll be featuring today and we’re looking forward to seeing how they play,” she said.
The trophy for the inaugural season of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) was unveiled during the opening ceremony.
The trophy was unveiled in presence of captains of all five teams, Smriti Mandhana (Royal Challengers Bangalore), Harmanpreet Kaur (Mumbai Indians), Meg Lanning (Delhi Capitals), Beth Mooney (Gujarat Giants) and Alyssa Healy (UP Warriorz).
Gujarat Giants (Playing XI): Beth Mooney(w/c), Sabbhineni Meghana, Harleen Deol, Ashleigh Gardner, Annabel Sutherland, Dayalan Hemalatha, Georgia Wareham, Sneh Rana, Tanuja Kanwar, Monica Patel, Mansi Joshi.
Mumbai Indians Women (Playing XI): Hayley Matthews, Yastika Bhatia(w), Harmanpreet Kaur(c), Nat Sciver-Brunt, Amelia Kerr, Amanjot Kaur, Pooja Vastrakar, Humaira Kazi, Issy Wong, Jintimani Kalita and Saika Ishaque. (ANI)