Mumbai Indians ace yet another run-chase in WPL, this time Harmanpreet Kaur finishes with a six

It can be difficult to find polar opposites in a five-team tournament, with a small sample size of games to judge sides. But the contrast between Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Giants last year in the Women’s Premier League had indeed been north and south.

One finished as winners with a near-perfect record. The other had a woeful campaign, winning as many games as their contemporaries had lost in the league stage: two. A year and another go at the auction table later, little seems to have changed as the defending champions rammed right through the Giants in a five-wicket cruise.

If Gujarat looked toothless, Mumbai played the assertive brand of cricket which won them the trophy last year. Harmanpreet Kaur once again scored the heap of runs, a welcome sign after her poor run in the Indian outfit against England and Australia. On a night where most batters succumbed to hold fort, the Indian captain made most of the luxury of time in the chase of 127, scrapping 40 less than a run a ball before closing the game with a six.