The upcoming Women’s Premier League 2025 Eliminator match between Gujarat Giants and Mumbai Indians at Brabourne Stadium is shaping up to be a classic David versus Goliath encounter. History, statistics, and betting odds heavily favor Mumbai Indians.
As one of the strongest teams in the league, both on paper and on the field, Mumbai Indians have consistently reached the knockout stages in all three WPL seasons, finishing as runner-up to Delhi Capitals each time. This marks their third consecutive appearance in a high-stakes Eliminator match, contrasting with Gujarat Giants, who are breaking new ground by advancing past the group stage for the first time. While Mumbai Indians clinched the title in the inaugural season, Royal Challengers Bengaluru ended their run last season. This year, they face a Giants team that is also hitting peak performance at the crucial moment.
Interestingly, all three knockout-qualified teams secured their spots early, each with a game to spare, and then all three subsequently lost their final round-robin match. For Gujarat Giants, that loss came against Mumbai Indians just two nights prior at the same venue. They will be eager to reverse that result in this rematch as they aim for their first-ever title clash, where Delhi Capitals await – the team they convincingly defeated in their last league game.
Gujarat’s opening combination has been inconsistent, with pace-bowling all-rounder Kashvee Gautam being the latest experiment. The Giants’ instability at the top order is evident, as Beth Mooney has had four different opening partners in eight games, and in every innings, the first wicket has fallen within the PowerPlay. Despite Mooney’s somewhat inconsistent season (231 runs), she has been a key batter alongside skipper Ash Gardner (235) and Harleen Deol (224). Deol’s match-winning unbeaten 70 against Delhi Capitals did not lead to a batting promotion despite numerous experiments from the Gujarat Giants camp. However, in this must-win game, Gujarat Giants will likely prioritize conventional strategies.
Mumbai Indians, while less experimental, did disrupt their most successful opening pair by moving Yastika Bhatia down the order after a period of low scores. Opening with Amelia Kerr has not been successful in the past two games. Their batting heavily relies on the Orange Cap holder Nat Sciver-Brunt (416 runs) and captain Harmanpreet Kaur (200 runs), despite a significant run gap between them.
Mumbai Indians might have a slight advantage in bowling for this knockout game at Brabourne, where spinners have been more effective, taking 17 wickets in the last two games compared to 8 for pace bowlers. Hayley Matthews and Amelia Kerr, each with 14 wickets, have been crucial for Mumbai Indians, who are missing Pooja Vastrakar this season. For Gujarat Giants, Gautam (10 wickets) leads the bowling attack, supported by the experienced Deandra Dottin (9 wickets) and skipper Gardner (8 wickets).
Historically, matches between these teams have ranged from one-sided contests, like their first-ever encounter at DY Patil Stadium, to thrilling chases, such as last year’s comeback win in Delhi where Harmanpreet Kaur achieved the improbable task of scoring 72 runs in the last five overs. Mumbai Indians have won all six previous matches against Gujarat Giants across three seasons, but Gujarat Giants will enter Thursday’s game knowing that this could be the perfect opportunity to change that narrative.
Team News
Mumbai Indians: Despite a recent loss to Royal Challengers Bangalore, Mumbai is expected to field the same lineup for this knockout match.
Probable XI: Hayley Matthews, Amelia Kerr, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Amanjot Kaur, Yastika Bhatia (wk), Sajeevan Sajana, G Kamalini, Sanskriti Gupta, Shabnim Ismail, Parunika Sisodia
Gujarat Giants: While their opening combination has been in flux, Gujarat Giants seem to have found their strongest XI on paper. Expect them to remain unchanged from their last game, barring any last-minute injury concerns.
Probable XI: Beth Mooney (wk), Kashvee Gautam, Harleen Deol, Ashleigh Gardner (C), Phoebe Litchfield, Deandra Dottin, Bharti Fulmali, Simran Shaikh, Tanuja Kanwar, Meghna Singh, Priya Mishra
Did you know?
– Mumbai Indians’ international spin duo, Amelia Kerr (13 wickets) and Hayley Matthews (11 wickets), have been particularly effective against Gujarat Giants, accounting for 47% of the wickets taken by Mumbai bowlers against them in six matches across all seasons.
– Harmanpreet Kaur averages 44.6 against Ash Gardner, scoring 223 runs at a strike rate of 163.97 in 27 innings. Against Gujarat Giants overall, Harmanpreet averages 78.75 with a total of 315 runs, including four half-centuries in six outings.
– Sciver-Brunt (458 runs) and Harmanpreet (406 runs) are the leading run-scorers at this venue, closely followed by Gujarat Giants captain Gardner (387 runs).
