Mumbai Indians defeat UP Warriorz by 72 runs, set up WPL final against DC
Navi Mumbai, Mar 24: Mumbai Indians beat UP Warriorz by 72 runs in the Eliminator clash to enter the finals of the Women's Premier League here on Friday.
MI will face Delhi Capitals in the title clash on Sunday.
Sent into bat, Mumbai Indians scored 182 for four. MI were off to a decent start but both their openers -- Hayley Matthews and Yastika Bhatia -- could not capitalise on their starts.
Nat Sciver-Brunt top-scored for MI with a blistering 72 not out off 38 balls, and while skipper Harmanpreet Kaur was out for 14, Melie Kerr chipped in with a 19-ball 29 before Pooja Vastrakar hit 11 in four balls.
In reply, MI bowled out UPW for 110 in 17.4 overs, with Kiran Navgire making 43 off 27 balls.
Young pacer Issy Wong bagged 4/15 for MI during an excellent spell and also became the first ever player to pick up a hat-trick in the WPL.
Brief scores:
Mumbai Indians: 182/4 in 20 overs (Nat Sciver-Brunt 72 not out; Sophie Ecclestone 2/39).
UP Warriorz: 110 all out in 17.4 overs (Kiran Navgire 43; Issy Wong 4/15).
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'Rear-guard action': BJP over Mamata accepting sports minister's resignation after Messi event
New Delhi (PTI): The BJP on Tuesday alleged that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's accepting Aroop Biswas' resignation as the state sports minister is nothing but a "rear-guard action" to douse public anger over the mismanagement of football icon Lionel Messi's event last week.
BJP co-in-charge for West Bengal Amit Malviya alleged that this is also an "open confession" that the Messi event fiasco was not accidental but a government-manufactured disaster, borne out of the poor governance of Banerjee, her ministers and the state bureaucracy.
Banerjee on Tuesday accepted Biswas' resignation as the sports minister in the wake of the controversy over the mismanagement of football icon Messi's event last week, a senior leader of the ruling TMC said.
Biswas, who had written to the chief minister seeking to be relieved of his responsibilities as sports minister, will continue as a cabinet minister, retaining charge of the power department.
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Reacting to the development, Malviya said in a post on X, "TMC Sports Minister Aroop Biswas resigns after the Messi fiasco and Mamata Banerjee accepts it in record time."
"Do not mistake this for accountability; this is nothing but a rear-guard action to douse public anger. anger! This is not 'Raj Dharma'," he added.
The BJP leader alleged that the incident was the outcome of "loot" of common people which is "so synonymous" with the TMC.
The incident was also the outcome of the "shameless VIP culture that TMC thrives on and deep-rooted cronyism promoted by Banerjee," he charged.
Malviya further alleged that Biswas' resignation exposes a "collective failure of Mamata Banerjee, her partisan bureaucracy, and her crony cabinet".
"This is a symbolic sacrifice, a political hoax, soon to be buried under layers of bureaucracy, with no justice, no accountability, and no remorse," the BJP leader said, adding, "No resignation will bring back the time lost, the money wasted, or the stolen chance for football lovers to witness Messi in Kolkata."
