WPL 2026: Mumbai Indians Elect To Bowl As Ayushi Soni Debuts For Gujarat Giants

WPL 2026: Mumbai Indians elect to bowl as Ayushi Soni debuts for Gujarat Giants (Image Source: IANS)

Dr DY Patil Sports Academy: Mumbai Indians won the toss and elected to bowl first against Gujarat Giants in the sixth match of the Women's Premier League (WPL) 2026, at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai on Tuesday.

For the Mumbai Indians, a fit-again Hayley Matthews is back in the playing eleven as Nat Sciver Brunt is unwell. Giants have handed a debut to Ayushi Soni as Anushka Sharma is out with an injury.

Mumbai Indians captain Harmanpreet Kaur said, "We are going to bowl first. I believe, in T20 cricket, especially when you are playing night games, it’s better to chase. We are ticking all the areas we discussed in the team meetings. The bowlers are executing their plans. We are looking to bat positively in the first six overs. Hayley is fit, and she is back. Unfortunately, Nat is unwell today. Hayley does well with bat and ball, and hopefully, she can take the responsibility for the team."

Gujarat Giants captain Ashleigh Gardner said, "I can’t win the toss at the moment. But that’s okay. I think the Power-play is a huge one. We have a huge experience with Sophie and Mooney at the top. They have spent a lot of time together. They are doing a fine job. I mean, we will wait and see.

"For us, it’s about keeping the plans simple. It’s hard to defend here. Hopefully, we will put up a good score that we will defend later. It’s huge. Obviously, the overseas players are there. But the Indian players are the ones who win your tournaments. They have stepped up at different times, and it makes your job as a captain. We are celebrating the small wins. One change. Anushka is out with an injury, and Ayushi makes her debut today," she added.

Playing XIs:

"For us, it’s about keeping the plans simple. It’s hard to defend here. Hopefully, we will put up a good score that we will defend later. It’s huge. Obviously, the overseas players are there. But the Indian players are the ones who win your tournaments. They have stepped up at different times, and it makes your job as a captain. We are celebrating the small wins. One change. Anushka is out with an injury, and Ayushi makes her debut today," she added.

Mumbai Indians Women: Hayley Kristen Matthews, G Kamalini (wk), Amelia Kerr, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Amanjot Kaur, Nicola Carey, Sanskriti Gupta, Poonam Khemnar, Sajeevan Sajana, Shabnim Ismail, Triveni Vasistha

Article Source: IANS