Right from the time MI won the toss and elected to bowl, everything went right for them. Nat picked 3-18, her best WPL bowling figures, as MI struck at regular intervals to restrict UPW to a below-par 142\/9. She then hit an unbeaten 75 off 44 balls, laced with 13 fours, to close the chase for MI with three balls to spare. She found good support from Hayley Matthews, who chipped in with 59 off 50 balls, as the duo shared a match-winning 133-run partnership for the second wicket. MI were slow off the blocks in the run-chase, but Nat\u2019s entry and her partnership with Hayley got them their third straight win of this competition.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Chasing 143, MI had early luck as Hayley was dropped by Sophie Ecclestone at first slip off Chinelle Henry\u2019s bowling. But MI lost Yastika Bhatia in the fourth over, as she picked out deep mid-wicket off Deepti Sharma and went back for an eight-ball duck.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Hayley struggled to connect anything against Chinelle before breaking the shackles by pulling her over square leg for six. Nat got going by heaving, driving, and whipping Saima Thakor for a hat-trick of boundaries as MI ended the power-play at 33\/1.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
After that, Hayley and Nat continued to find boundaries with ease and keep up with the rising required run rate. Chinelle was brought on for her final over, and Nat smashed her down the ground before uppercutting and pulling to hit a hattrick of fours in the 11th over.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Nat brought up her sixth WPL fifty off 29 balls by rocking back and pulling Sophie through mid-wicket for four, before cutting and swatting off the spinner for consecutive boundaries. Deepti\u2019s return into the bowling attack didn\u2019t bring much difference as Nat moved across to sweep and paddle-scoop off her for back-to-back boundaries.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Hayley rocked back to pull Grace Harris between long-on and deep midwicket for four before smacking her for a six on the free hit. After bringing up her fifty off 45 balls, Hayley edged and swatted Grace for back-to-back boundaries as 22 runs came off the 16th over. Though Hayley fell to Sophie for 59, Harmanpreet Kaur finished off the chase with an inside edge, going for four to give MI an easy win.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Previously, UPW had a rollicking start, thanks to Grace making a quick-fire 45 after being promoted to open the batting and take them to 80\/1 in nine overs. But MI made a strong comeback by picking wickets in heaps to keep UPW to a below-par total.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Apart from Nat, who used slower balls very well, Shabnim Ismail and Sanskriti Gupta took two wickets, while Hayley Matthews and Amelia Kerr each had a scalp. MI struck quickly when Kiran Navgire pulled off the toe-end to mid-on against Nat. But after that, boundaries began to flow for UPW \u2013 Grace dispatched Shabnim for a hat-trick of fours, while Vrinda Dinesh elegantly lofted and hooked Nat for her two fours.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Hayley\u2019s off-spin didn\u2019t make any difference as Grace heaved, swept, bisected the gap, and muscled powerfully to hit two fours and as many sixes in a 20-run fourth over. Vrinda superbly drove Shabnim through cover before dispatching Hayley over the bowler\u2019s head to get two fours as UPW ended the power-play at 62\/1.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The duo took a four each off Jintimani Kalita, with Grace being dropped by Shabnim at long-on when on 44. But that reprieve didn\u2019t cost MI much as Shabnim took Grace\u2019s catch at long-on off Amelia\u2019s bowling to end the 79-run stand for the second wicket. From there, MI triggered a UPW meltdown as Vrinda pulled straight to deep square leg off Sanskriti, who later uprooted Tahlia McGrath\u2019s off-stump in the 11th over. Deepti went for a sweep off Hayley but got a top edge, and Harmanpreet took a one-handed stunning catch at short fine leg.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Shweta Sehrawat couldn\u2019t keep a cut down against Nat and was caught at backward point. Some tight bowling from MI meant there was no Chinelle magic for UPW, as she hit straight to deep mid-wicket off Nat. Sophie couldn\u2019t replicate her power-hitting heroics from the last game as Shabnim castled her and Saima in the 19th over. It took a boundary from Kranti on the last ball of the innings to help UP Warriorz cross the 140-mark, something which was always going to be insufficient.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Brief scores:<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Shweta Sehrawat couldn\u2019t keep a cut down against Nat and was caught at backward point. Some tight bowling from MI meant there was no Chinelle magic for UPW, as she hit straight to deep mid-wicket off Nat. Sophie couldn\u2019t replicate her power-hitting heroics from the last game as Shabnim castled her and Saima in the 19th over. It took a boundary from Kranti on the last ball of the innings to help UP Warriorz cross the 140-mark, something which was always going to be insufficient.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
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