Matthews, Sciver-Brunt carry Mumbai Indians into WPL final
Mumbai, Mar 13 (PTI): Nat Sciver-Brunt and Hayley Matthews carried Mumbai Indians to their second WPL final as their power-packed knocks laid the cornerstone for the team's 47-run win over Gujarat Giants in the Eliminator here on Thursday.
After a rather sedate powerplay, Sciver-Brunt (77 off 41) and Matthews (77 off 50) displayed brute force to fire Mumbai Indians to a daunting 213 for four.
Mumbai Indians skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (36 off 12) provided the finishing touches with a crisp cameo.
After an ordinary show in the field and with the ball, the Giants were on self-destructing mode in the chase with three run-outs being an indicator of that.
Their innings ended at 166 all out in 19.2 overs with Matthews also chipping in with the ball, striking twice.
It was Mumbai Indians' seventh straight win over the Giants in WPL history.
Mumbai Indians, who won the inaugural edition in 2023, will meet Delhi Capitals in the final on Saturday.
Debutant Daniell Gibson (34 off 24) and Phoebe Litchfield (31 off 20) looked in threatening touch but regular fall of wickets kept pegging the Giants back.
The highlight of Litchfield's effort was the switch hit of Matthews.
Skipper Ashleigh Gardner, who bailed her team out on multiple occasions, had an off day with the bat.
Indian batter Bharti Fulmali delayed the inevitable with an impressive 30 off 20 balls.
Having finished last in the past two seasons, reaching the knock-out stage was a welcome result for Gujarat Giants.
Earlier Sciver-Brunt, who forms the backbone of Mumbai Indians batting, disdainfully smashed pacers and spinners, collecting 10 fours and two sixes in the process.
Realising Mumbai had got only 37 in the powerplay, Matthews and Sciver-Brunt changed gears.
While the England batter took the attack to debutant pacer Danielle Gibson, Matthews hammered three consecutive boundaries off leg-spinner Priya Mishra.
Matthews, who began cautiously before cutting loose, got to her fifty with a six off a long hop from left-arm spinner Tanuja Kanwer.
In the death overs, it was raining sixes from the bat of Harmanpreet who cleared the ropes four times in her sizzling effort.
Mumbai Indians smashed 73 in the last five overs.
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OpenAI to open first India office in New Delhi
New Delhi: OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, on Friday announced plans to open its first office in India later this year, selecting New Delhi as its base. The decision comes as India emerges as the company’s second-largest user base after the United States and one of its fastest-growing markets, with weekly active users rising more than fourfold over the past year.
The office will support the government’s IndiaAI mission and strengthen partnerships with local stakeholders. It will also help OpenAI serve students, educators, developers, and businesses who rely on its AI tools for learning, creativity, and problem-solving.
“The level of excitement and opportunity for AI in India is incredible. India has all the ingredients to become a global AI leader, amazing tech talent, a world-class developer ecosystem, and strong government support through the IndiaAI Mission,” said Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI. “Opening our first office and building a local team is an important step in our commitment to make advanced AI more accessible across the country and to build AI for India, and with India.”
Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw welcomed the move, calling it a recognition of India’s leadership in digital innovation and AI adoption. “With strong investments in digital public infrastructure, AI talent, and enterprise-scale solutions, India is uniquely positioned to drive the next wave of AI-led transformation,” he said.
While the exact location of the office is yet to be finalised, OpenAI has registered an entity in India and begun building a local team. The team will focus on collaboration with government, businesses, developers, and academic institutions, as well as on designing features tailored to India to make AI more affordable and accessible.
OpenAI’s technology is already being used in India across sectors including agriculture, recruitment, and governance. To deepen engagement, the company will host its first Education Summit in India this month, followed by its first Developer Day later this year.
Recruitment for various roles is underway, with further details on the office and upcoming initiatives expected in the coming months.
