Sciver-Brunt and Harmanpreet meet with a touch of MI legacy, adding little bit of fire and a little bit of ice.
Sciver-Brunt and Harmanpreet- fire, ice, and a touch of MI at the World Cup.
You can feel the difference. To enter the media gate of the Holkar Stadium in Indore, you must exit the main road and enter a bylane. Without the honking and the constant commotion of traffic, the bylane is noticeably silent. It is nearly deafeningly quiet.
What a contrast. Like Harmanpreet Kaur and Nat Sciver-Brunt at Friday’s workout.
There was Sciver-Brunt everywhere. At one point, she was practicing her catching and fielding skills. In the other, she dominated one of the two training nets at spot-bowling. Then she was bowling to Sophia Dunkley and Tammy Beaumont. In the following moment, she was batting in the net next to it, first facing throwdowns and then the bowlers from England.
The sun had turned to a cloudy, black sky by the time Harmanpreet and company strode in. Almost exactly on time, the floodlights came on. Before she hit the straps running, she took a leisurely walk in the outfield. There, Harmanpreet was a picture of concentration. She faced a range of Indian bowlers and batted in pairs with Jemimah Rodrigues. After that, she bowled to Deepti Sharma for a bit.
The Mumbai Indians (MI), who have won two titles in three seasons, have had numerous match-winning partnerships with Sciver-Brunt and Harmanpreet in the WPL. With Sciver-Brunt as her deputy, they have planned the assassinations of several of Harmanpreet’s teammates from India, including Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues.
However, the two will be in opposing camps on Sunday at the Women’s World Cup 2025, strengthening plans to defeat each other when India and England square off at a pivotal point. India is coming off two straight defeats and has just four points from four games, while England has seven points and has not lost a game.
Then there is Charlotte Edwards, who became England’s head coach after managing MI for three successful years. The MI leadership was divided between the two sides during the July bilateral series between India and England. However, this is undoubtedly the most well-known game—and a sellout at that.
A Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) duel is a subplot to this major MI divide. Smriti Mandhana, the captain and head coach of the WPL 2024 champion team, and Luke Williams will also be in opposing camps. Mandhana is the vice-captain of India, and Williams is Edwards’ deputy.