Beth Mooney, contemporary from her World Cup-winning heroics, has been introduced rudely all the way down to earth, struggling harm throughout a calamitous 143-run defeat for her Gujarat Giants facet within the opening match of India’s new Women’s Premier League.
The Australian opener, in her first main captaincy position, reckoned she had been wanting ahead to the problem of launching the profitable new, probably game-changing league in Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium on Saturday.
But all of it went mistaken for the batting champion, participant of the match in final Sunday’s T20 World Cup remaining, and her expensively-assembled crew, as Mooney requested Mumbai Indians to bat and watched them rattle up an enormous complete of 5-207.
Leading the huge chase, the champion left-hander then confronted simply 4 balls earlier than she needed to retire damage with out scoring, having seemingly injured her left knee as she turned whereas working.
It proved solely the beginning of a disastrous innings for the Giants as they capitulated for 64 off simply 15.1 overs.
There’s now a giant query mark over whether or not Mooney can be match to play in Sunday’s second match towards a UP Warriorz crew captained by her Australian opening associate Alyssa Healy.
The Giants have invested closely in Australian energy, taking over Rachael Haynes because the coach, Mooney snapped up for $350,000 as captain and star batter and allrounder Ash Gardner because the joint-most costly abroad recruit for $558,000.
Georgia Wareham, who like Mooney and Gardner had performed in Australia’s successful crew in final weekend’s T20 World Cup remaining win over South Africa in Cape Town, and Annabel Sutherland made up the Giants’ highly effective Aussie quartet.
But the three bowlers all obtained carted round, conceding 100 runs off 10 overs between them, with Gardner taking 1-38 off 4, Wareham 1-30 off three and Sutherland 0-32 off three.
Big-hitting Gardner, hopefully not weighed down by her enormous price ticket, additionally failed with the bat, caught at slip for a golden duck.
But, fittingly, after all of the Bollywood glitz that preceded the launch of the ladies’s sport’s richest league, it was dwelling hero, Mumbai captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who did most to get the match off to a rip-roaring begin in entrance of an enthusiastic crowd, cracking 65 off 30 balls.
“It was a brilliant start, it feels like a dream come true,” mentioned Harmanpreet, who has predicted the league can be a “game-changer” for ladies’s cricket.
“We kept things simple and clear. Told players to play natural. Obviously it’s a big day for women’s cricket – but it was all about backing yourself.”
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
