10 March,2023 12:25 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Mumbai Indians (Pic Courtesy: wplt20)
Having won three matches on trot in the Women's Premier League (WPL), Mumbai Indians have stamped their authority on the inaugural edition like no other. And it is no wonder that Caribbean all-rounder Hayley Matthews has been a vital cog in the Mumbai Indians' wheelhouse. The lanky all-rounder began her WPL campaign with a quickfire 47 against Gujarat Giants in the opener and followed it up with three big wickets and a crucial knock of 77' against RCB. She continued rampage against Delhi Capitals on Thursday with striking figures of 3/19 and a startling knock of 32, which steered Mumbai to a comprehensive 8-wicket win with five overs to spare.
Meanwhile, her teammate and the side's star pacer Issy Wong revealed that it was their bowling variety that made the side appear more dreadful on the field. Wong also scalped three wickets against Delhi.
"We have got a very diverse bowling attack. We have got left-arm spinners, off-spinners, leg-spinners. We have got a variety of seam bowlers as well with different change-ups. We cover all the bases. It allows us to be really flexible. Harman been fantastic, just pulling strings here and there. Especially Hayley, Harman brought her on at just the right time in the game against RCB and the diversity of our attack allows us to do that," Wong said.
Also Read: Mumbai Indians down Delhi Capitals by eight wickets, secure third WPL win on trot
With three wins in a row, the MI camp could not have hoped for a better start to the tournament. "Three out of three is a great start. It can't get better than that. We have worked really hard in training. We have made the most out of the squad we have got and there have been some great performances from all the girls," added Wong.
Having lost their first match in the tournament, Delhi Capitals head coach Jonathan Batty rued the loss of seven wickets for a little over 20 runs
"Full credit to the Mumbai Indians who bowled really well with the new ball. They restricted us in the powerplay. We were recovering well at 80 for three after 12 overs but then we lost seven wickets for 24 runs and only batted out 18 overs. Losing out in two overs at the back end and (it) hurts you. It was not quite a good wicket as we have been playing on, so maybe 150-160 might have been a realistic target," Batty said.