Navi Mumbai, Jan 15 (NationPress) Harleen Deol delivered an outstanding performance, scoring 64 not out off 39 balls, leading the UP Warriorz to a remarkable seven-wicket triumph over Mumbai Indians in Match 8 of the Women's Premier League (WPL) 2026 held at the DY Patil Stadium on Thursday.

Deol, who faced criticism for being retired out the previous night while on 47, showcased her dominance against MI's bowling with impressive strokeplay, particularly on the off-side. She executed cuts, drives, and late-cuts with such exceptional precision and timing that MI struggled to adapt their field placements. Her impeccable timing rendered fielding positions irrelevant as she effortlessly found gaps.

Phoebe Litchfield provided solid support with 25 runs, while Chloe Tryon contributed an unbroken 27 to ensure a smooth finish, allowing UPW to secure their inaugural victory of the season with 11 balls remaining, thanks to Harleen's masterful display.

UPW’s innings commenced with Kiran Navgire surviving an lbw appeal from Nicola Carey, as the decision favored the batter on umpire’s call, while Shabnim Ismail kept the pressure on. Meg Lanning found the boundary through a square drive and cut, while Kiran joined in with consecutive fours off Shabnim.

The arrival of Nat Sciver-Brunt saw Meg pull her first ball for four, followed by a sweep for six. A dropped catch off Meg at point added to MI’s frustrations. However, the momentum shifted sharply in the first over after the Power-play as Nat dismissed both Meg and Kiran, caught by Sajeevan Sajana at deep square-leg while attempting to pull.

Harleen, eager to make a statement after her previous night’s exit, struck four boundaries within her first six deliveries, with a beautifully executed shot through the off-side against Nicola being the highlight. Phoebe got into her rhythm with inside-out and square drives, before launching Amelia over long-on for six.

Harleen continued her assault, hitting three boundaries off Shabnim, starting with a square drive through point, followed by a drive and a deft late cut past third man. While Harleen accrued more boundaries through drives and pulls, Phoebe misplayed a hoick to square leg, becoming Amelia’s first wicket.

Harleen reached a fluid half-century off 32 balls with a slog sweep through square leg off Sanskriti Gupra, and followed up with two more boundaries. With Chloe adding crucial runs through lofts, sweeps, pulls, and short-arm jabs, UPW finally clinched their initial win of the tournament.

Earlier, Sciver-Brunt smashed 65 off 43 balls, while Nicola remained not out on 32 off 20 deliveries, aiding Mumbai Indians to recover from a slow start and set a target of 161/5. MI showcased their batting depth in a brutal final seven overs, scoring 83 runs after a precarious position of 78/3 in 13 overs.

While Sciver-Brunt struck nine fours and a six in her innings, expertly maneuvering the field, Nicola added five quick boundaries, leaving UPW unable to contain the late onslaught after controlling the middle overs.

MI’s innings began sluggishly as Amanjot Kaur, elevated to open in Hayley Matthews' absence, and G Kamalini struggled against UPW's new-ball attack, resulting in MI's lowest powerplay score of the season – 32/0.

In an attempt to accelerate, Amanjot attempted a slog-sweep but ended up caught at deep mid-wicket off Deepti Sharma, while Kamalini fell to long-off against Sophie Ecclestone. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur provided brief resistance with an 11-ball 16 before being spectacularly caught by Chloe Tryon off Asha Sobhana Joy.

The match turned dramatically when Nat and Nicola formed a destructive 85-run partnership off 43 balls. They launched a calculated assault on UP's bowling, scoring 33 runs in the 15th and 16th overs combined to seize control, followed by 11 and 15 runs in the next two overs.

Despite managing just one boundary in the final two overs, Nat and Nicola had caused sufficient damage to enable MI to reach a competitive total. Nevertheless, it was not enough to prevent UPW and a determined Harleen from securing their first victory.

Brief scores:

Mumbai Indians: 161/5 in 20 overs (Nat Sciver-Brunt 65, Amanjot Kaur 38; Shikha Pandey 1-25, Sophie Ecclestone 1-26) lost to UP Warriorz: 162/3 in 18.1 overs (Harleen Deol 64 not out, Chloe Tryon 27 not out; Nat Sciver-Brunt 2-28, Amelia Kerr 1-42) by seven wickets