Gujarat’s batting lock horns against Mumbai’s bowling might as Devine and Gardner are set to face the WPL’s best bowling attack.
Can MI’s bowlers halt GG’s batting powerhouse?
The Gujarat Giants had batting difficulties during the first three seasons of the Women’s Premier League (WPL). They had just twice surpassed 200 and had the lowest run rate of the five teams prior to this season, at 7.69.
With a run rate of 10.4, they are the fastest-scoring club in the league in WPL 2026, but they have completely changed the game, smashing their previous best score in both of their games thus far. This season, just one other team has surpassed 200.
In 20 of the 23 Women’s T20s it has hosted, the team winning the toss has opted to bowl. GG was placed in both of their matches and responded by putting up totals that were above average.
Sophie Devine, one of their notable auction purchases, has been at the centre of this turnaround. Devine has made sure GG has put pressure on the bowlers from the beginning, even though her opening partner Beth Mooney had a very slow start to the season. After setting the tone with a 20-ball 38 in GG’s season-opening match against UP Warriorz, she went on to score a magnificent 42-ball 95 in a close victory over Delhi Capitals.
With no other club even reaching 10 in the first six, GG’s powerplay run rate of 11.33 is unquestionably the greatest of any team this season.
Georgia Wareham and Anushka Sharma, two recent additions, as well as captain Ashleigh Gardner, have all produced significant contributions that have allowed GG to maintain the pace throughout their innings.
However, GG now faces the Mumbai Indians, one of the league’s top bowling teams, who have given up just 7.74 runs per over in their two games. A Nadine de Klerk special prevented MI from defending a total of 154 in the season-opening match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. They then defended a total and scored their first points of the season with yet another outstanding performance, at one point cutting DC to 46 for 5.
This game, then, could be a serious test of GG’s new-found batting approach.