The match began with DC captain Meg Lanning winning the toss and opting to bowl first, a decision that paid dividends almost immediately. Mumbai Indians, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, were put under pressure from the outset by a disciplined DC bowling attack. The spin duo of Jess Jonassen and Minnu Mani proved to be the game-changers, ripping through MI’s batting lineup with figures of 3-25 and 3-17, respectively.
MI started positively with openers Hayley Matthews and Yastika Bhatia showing intent, but their momentum was short-lived. Shikha Pandey struck early, dismissing Bhatia for 11 in the sixth over, caught behind after a tentative poke outside off. Matthews followed soon after, miscuing a shot off Annabel Sutherland to Shafali Verma at mid-off for 22. At 49 for 2 after nine overs, MI were still in the game, but the introduction of spin turned the tide.
Harmanpreet Kaur, looking to accelerate, smashed a 79-meter six off Titas Sadhu in the tenth over and followed it with a deft boundary, but her aggression was curtailed by Jonassen. The MI skipper fell for 22, trapped by a well-flighted delivery, sparking a collapse. The middle order crumbled as Jonassen and Mani ran riot, reducing MI to 106 for 9 by the 19th over. Each of MI’s top five batters reached double digits, but none could convert their starts, with 22 being the highest individual score. A late cameo from Amanjot Kaur (17* off 10) provided some respectability, pushing MI to 123 for 9 in their 20 overs.
