In a surprising move, Mumbai Indians captain Harmanpreet Kaur held a wide review against the Gujarat Giants in the 2023 Women’s Premier League (WPL) opener on Saturday (March 4).
The incident took place during the over 13 of the Giants’ inning at Saika Ishaque’s bowling alley. Goalkeeper Yastika Bhatia seemed certain the ball hit batsman Monica Patel, who surprisingly admitted that she hit the ball. Replays confirmed that the ball did indeed touch the glove and the decision was reversed.
According to the WPL’s conditions of play document:
“Circumstances in Which Player Review May Be Requested 3.1.1 A player may request a review of any decision made by the umpires on the field regarding whether or not a batsman is ejected, with the exception of ‘Time Out’. ‘ (Player Review) A player may also be allowed to review any decisions made by the umpires on the course regarding wide ball or no ball.
Fans praised Harmanpreet Kaur’s captaincy, while some were surprised by the new rule at WPL 2023. One tweeted:
“A team review for a Wide! Has that happened before? Great captaincy”
These are some of the best reactions on Twitter.:
The referee calls it wide and the Mumbai Indians decide to challenge the decision! Yastika Bhatia was confident that he was not wide and Harmanpreet Kaur decides to challenge him.#TATAWPL #WPL2023 #GGvMI https://t.co/Azz2WHEDVh
Mumbai Indians challenged wide open. Lmao 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Harry what are you doing?? Crazy captaincy 😝#WPL2023
The referee calls it a wideMI challenge, the decision changed the decision The new rule of challenging the referee’s decision wide and without the ball is so good 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 https://t.co/Iii209XdhT
@cricketbaba5 It was for a 12.6 delivery in GG entries, which was initially given wide open, but was successfully reviewed by MI. From Cricinfo’s comment 👇 https://t.co/0FVyrAac68
‘Bright start’: Harmanpreet Kaur as MI beat GG by 143 runs
Harmanpreet Kaur, who shot 65 for 30, expressed his gratitude as the Mumbai Indians beat the Gujarat Giants by a mammoth 143 runs in the opening match of WPL 2023 on Saturday (March 4).
She said on the post-match show:
“I watched the ball very well and supported myself. Whatever got in my way, I leaned in and kept going. I think it was a brilliant start; it felt like a dream come true. The first day and everything we did, worked well for us. We kept things simple and clear. He told the players to play naturally. It’s a great day for women’s cricket and we’re talking about expressing ourselves.”
Sent out to bat, MI scored 207-5 in their allotted 20 overs. In addition to Kaur, Hayley Mathews scored 47 from 31 while Amelia Kerr added 45 from 24. Sneh Rana scalped two wickets for GG, while Georgia Wareham, Tanuja Kanwar and Ashleigh Gardner scalped one each. a.
In response, the Giants were bowled out for 64 in 15.1 overs, with Dayalan Hemalatha scoring 29 for 23. Captain Beth Mooney retired injured after twisting her ankle in the first over.
Saika Ishaque emerged as the bowlers’ choice for MI, finishing with figures of 4-11. Meanwhile, Natalie Sciver and Amelia Kerr tore two wickets each, while Issy Wong took one wicket.