Saika Ishaque: Saika Ishaque and Danielle Gibson have come in for the crucial clash as the Gujarat Giants won the toss and elected to bowl first against the Mumbai Indians in the Eliminator clash of the 2025 Women's Premier League (WPL) at the Brabourne Stadium here on Thursday.
The winner of Thursday’s clash will book a place in the final against Delhi Capitals on Saturday. MI are playing an Eliminator for the third straight time, while it’s the first time GG find themselves in the playoffs. In head-to-head clashes between both teams, MI have a 6-0 record over GG.
After winning the toss, GG skipper Ashleigh Gardner said Danielle comes in as big-hitting all-rounder Deandra Dottin injured herself five minutes ago in the pre-match warm-up routine.
“It's another fresh wicket, and we feel that we did a lot of things right the other night. Didn't get the win, but taking a lot of positives from what we were able to do in the bowling innings.”
“Really unfortunate for such a big game, but stoked for Danielle, who makes her debut. It's a pretty cool opportunity, and hopefully, she can shine. Generally, it's high-scoring. Might be a little bit in the wicket early.”
“Everyone's super excited. We've played some really good cricket in this tournament. Apart from excitement, I'm sure there are a lot of nerves as well in the camp as we've not been here before,” she said.
MI captain Harmanpreet Kaur said Saika, the left-arm spinner, comes in for Parunika Sisodia in the playing eleven. “For us, anything was okay. We have been in this situation twice and know how important this game is. The only thing that works well is when you stay in the moment,” she said.
Playing XIs:
Gujarat Giants: Beth Mooney (wk), Kashvee Gautam, Harleen Deol, Ashleigh Gardner (c), Phoebe Litchfield, Danielle Gibson, Bharti Fulmali, Simran Shaikh, Tanuja Kanwar, Meghna Singh, Priya Mishra
Playing XIs:
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Article Source: IANS