Beyond the headlines: GG's poor batting, GG's great bowling, NSB rocks spin, & more!
Beyond the headlines; GG v/s MI, Game 5 of the WPL
The Mumbai Indians beat the Gujarat Giants by 5 wickets, in a game that was decided early on because GG’s batters didn’t feel like sticking around the crease for too long. Somehow, GG’s bowlers almost made a game out of defending just 120 runs, but it was a bridge too far.
But, what happened beyond the headlines?
Is Hemalatha GG’s best option at No.3?
Written by Ritwika Dhar. You can follow her on Twitter.
Dayalan Hemalatha came in after just 9 balls of GG’s innings, as Beth Mooney lost her wicket quickly. Despite handling two elite pacers in the powerplay - scoring 7 off 8 balls against Nat Sciver-Brunt & Shabnim Ismail - she lost her wicket to a spinner.
Again.
MI brought on Hayley Matthews on for a solitary over in the powerplay with a clear plan; to target Hemalatha. After flicking the first two deliveries towards square, Hemalatha was sucked into a big shot on the third, flighted delivery. Amelia Kerr took a great running catch on the boundary, but it is hard to say the wicket came as a surprise.
Hemalatha has been dismissed 27 times against spin in T20s during her career, compared to just 9 times against pace. In the WPL, her numbers are similar - 10 spin dismissals out of 12, including 6 to right arm spinners. The cherry on top of these stats? This is the third time that Matthews picked up Hemalatha’s wicket!
GG have a settled pair in Mooney and Laura Wolvaardt - two established internationals - opening the order, but they’ve struggled to choose a stable No.3. After her third straight dismissal to spin in the 2025 WPL, Hemalatha may not be the answer.
Hemalatha has a decent strike rate in the position for GG (126.38 SR), but her average of just 15.16 is abysmal for GG’s requirements. Considering they often lose an opener in the powerplay, the team may be better of banking on a player like Harleen Deol, who scores at a slower pace (114.28 SR at No.3 for GG) but sticks around longer (ave. 24 at No.3 for GG).
After scoring just 13 runs off 23 balls across three matches this season, the pressure is on Hemalatha. Harleen’s knock of 32 for 31 today gave some solidity to the GG’s innings, and might have been more useful higher up the order.
So, where do GG go from here?
Data from ESPNcricinfo.
GG’s batters executed poorly today
Written by Aksay Ram M. You can follow him on Twitter, Instagram & YouTube.
GG have one of the best batting orders on paper, but they struggled in today’s game. They didn’t respect the conditions, they didn’t show an ability to manage the game, and they lost wicket after wicket to unnecessarily risky shots.
Nine of Gujarat’s 10 wickets fell due to attacking shots (and the other was a last ball run out). Five were caught in the deep, and four of those were results of shots after charging down the track. Six of the wickets fell within 15 balls of the last wicket, and on average they lost a wicket every 10.7 balls.
It was just reckless batting from ball one, which led to a lack of meaningful partnerships (despite Harleen Deol holding down one end for 13 overs), and therefore a score unbefitting of GG’s talent.
Beth Mooney - who averages 25 balls per dismissal during WPL powerplays - came charging out of her crease trying to thump one over the off-side and top-edged the ball to the midfielder on just the third delivery of her innings.
Laura Wolvaardt played a risky attacking shot nine balls after Mooney’s dismissal, and was caught 30 yards out. Four balls later, Hemalatha slogged across the line and was stunningly caught in the deep by Amelia Kerr.
Swiping across the line is not a smart idea on a Vadodara wicket that is staying low, and yet Dottin, Simran, Kashvee, and Kanwar got out in the same manner as Hemalatha. Though some of the batters were commendably trying to coming down the ground to meet the ball before it pitched, they failed in their execution.
GG have a great batting order on paper, but they need to strategise and execute much better if they want to get out of the league stage this year.
Data from Cricviz.
GG’s bowlers executed brilliantly today
Written by Aksay Ram M. You can follow him on Twitter, Instagram & YouTube.
On the same pitch that RCB chased down 141 with ease against DC, MI had a harder time scoring 120 against a weaker GG bowling unit. The Giants’ bowlers’ tight lines - especially in the first 10 overs - were a masterclass in execution.
GG focussed on the right length for the conditions, which did not allow the MI batters space to cut, pull or drive the ball. In fact, it may have even frustrated them into coming down the pitch to make the balls easier to hit on the straighter boundaries - which led to wickets like that of Yastika Bhatia.
GG’s consistent lengths meant that they did not afford MI too many boundary balls, which also contributed to the rising pressure. Matthews was a victim of this game plan, as she got out trying to manufacture a shot against a low, short delivery after facing 8 dot balls in 18 balls.
In the first 10 overs, only three of MI’s eleven 4s were scored via cuts, pulls, or drives, and no sixes were conceded. GG bowled a 47% dot ball percentage, and dragged out the MI innings.
Yesterday, in the same timeframe, DC’s bowlers allowed RCB’s batters 75% of their runs via cuts, pulls, or drives, including nine of fifteen 4s and two 6s. Overall, DC only had a 30% dot ball percentage in the first ten overs.
Despite a relatively weaker bowling attack, GG bowled with more discipline and nearly made a 121-run target interesting. If their batters had managed another 30-40 runs, this could’ve been a famous first victory over MI.
Data from Cricviz.
NSB shines against spin - and points out a flaw in high level data analysis
Written by Shayan Ahmad Khan. You can follow him on Twitter.
In the WPL, Nat Sciver-Brunt plays spin well. However, leg spin seems to present an odd anomaly. She scores at a rapid strike rate of 157.5, but has also gotten out to it 4 times in 7 innings before today.
Today, NSB came to the crease in the 4th over with MI at 22/1. The English allrounder started with a 4 off a poor delivery by left-arm finger spinner Tanuja Kanwar. At the end of the powerplay, she was on 10 off 9 balls.
When leg spinner Priya Mishra (the statistical threat) came on to bowl in the seventh over, Sciver-Brunt played two pull shots that went for 4s. When Mishra bowled another short ball in her next over, and again Sciver-Brunt pulled it away for a boundary.
At the halfway point, she was batting on 30 off 22 balls as MI limped to 63/3. She would score more boundaries against spin – one off Kanwar, two off Ash Gardner (a reverse sweep and a sweep) and another one off Mishra, before being bowled while attempting a sweep against the latter.
You could argue that GG’s bowling strategy for NSB worked, and they just didn’t have enough runs on the board. But, a deeper look at NSB’s numbers reveals something different.
NSB plays spin better than pace. Even against leg spin - where she has been dismissed four times - NSB has still scored 63 runs off 40 balls over the course of the WPL (before today). One detail that makes her spin numbers look better - RCB’s Georgia Wareham has gotten her out 3 times, at a strike rate of 100.00.
NSB isn’t susceptible to leg spin. She’s got a weird record against Wareham, and absolutely demolishes everyone else. As she showed again today.
Data from Cricmetric.
MI’s allrounders give them a chance to test new lineups
Written by Shayan Ahmad Khan. You can follow him on Twitter.
MI reduced GG to 28-4 in the powerplay tonight, and the all-rounder duo of Hayley Matthews & Nat Sciver-Brunt (a combined 3-0-17-3) were crucial to that success.
This is part of a larger pattern. MI have the best bowling average (18.15) in WPL history, and the second best economy (6.63) during the first 6 overs - and their all-rounders have played a crucial role.
MI’s best powerplay bowler has undoubtedly been Matthews, who has a wicket every 10.5 balls and concedes only 6.29 runs per over, while Sciver-Brunt has bowled the most number of powerplay overs (34) for them (though she’s played more games than Shabnim Ismail, who has the highest overs per innings).
Having two allrounders bowl consistently deliver elite overs in the powerplay gives MI the chance to play with their bowling units.
Other WPL teams shuffle their powerplay bowlers too, but you could argue that MI do it from a position of strength. They’ve played pacers like Ismail, Sciver-Brunt and Issy Wong, the left-arm finger spin of Saika Ishaque, as well as Hayley Matthews’ off spin during the powerplays with success.
In addition to this bowling advantage, it helps that both Matthews (468 runs in 21 inns, with an ave. of 23.40 & a SR of 118.48) and Sciver-Brunt (641 runs in 21 inns, with an ave. of 42.73 & a SR of 133.82) are elite batters who play in MI’s top 3. Sciver-Brunt also happens to be third highest scorer in the WPL after today’s innings.
Throw in Amelia Kerr as a great leg spin bowler (26 wickets in 21 innings, with an ave, of 18.15 & an econ. of 7.29) and middle order batter (392 runs in 18 inns, with an ave. of 32.66 & a SR of 127.68), and MI’s roster construction is enviable.
Due to these three players, MI don’t need to worry about selecting a second powerplay bowling specialist. Their allrounders - who also bowl three different styles - allow them the flexibility to test other players in the lineup.
As such, MI can choose players based on conditions and opposition. Today they gave debuts to Under 19 World Cup winners G Kamalini & Parunika Sisodia. Over the course of the season, this could prove invaluable to training their depth for the knockout games.
Data from Cricmetric.
MI’s debutant was better than her numbers suggest
Written by Krithika Venkatesan, who works as a talent scout with RCB. You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
After spending the entire WPL 2023 season on the bench, Parunika Sisodia finally got her opportunity to play for MI. Sisodia joined the MI camp directly from the U19 World Cup, where she bagged ten wickets.
Up until last year, Sisodia varied her pace more effectively. Whenever she bowled slower on a good length, she troubled batters, but a slight change in her loading and release point this year has made it harder for her to bowl slower deliveries. As a result, when she tries to hit a good length or back-of-a-length, she often loses control, leading to wides.
To compensate, she now tends to bowl fuller—mostly at the stumps or outside off—and has consistently taken wickets with this strategy. Since she bowls close to 80 kmph, and whenever she pitches at full-ish the ball usually skids for her.
The 19-year-old initially struggled to adjust to the higher level today. Her first three deliveries were on a good length but drifted down the leg side. The fourth delivery, which Deandra Dottin nudged to deep midwicket, was a fuller one—her most effective delivery these days.
Since changing her bowling technique, Sisodia has opted for a fielding setup with a deep square leg, a deep midwicket, and a short fine leg. However, today she bowled to a deep backward square leg instead of her usual deep square leg, which might’ve cost her the wicket of Harleen Deol in her first over. Instead of getting caught, Deol pierced the gap and found a boundary.
In the second over, she successfully nailed her fullish outside-off delivery three times, conceding only a couple of runs. However, the other three deliveries landed in Kashvee Gautam’s hitting zone - square and behind the stumps.
In an innings where the other spinners were economical, Sisodia finished with figures of 0/20 in two overs. However, considering this was her first game on a bigger stage, she is expected to grow, and hopefully, she gets the backing she needs.
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