NEWS
Follow UsIt was so close yet too far for Mumbai Indians in the WPL Eliminator as they failed to chase down the 136-run target posted by Royal Challengers Bangalore to lose out on a spot for the finals. With six wickets in hand, Mumbai needed 16 runs in the last two overs, but Sophie Molineux conceded just four runs in the penultimate over while Asha Sobhana gave away just six runs to ensure that RCB fixed a spot in the final for Sunday.
It was a whirlwind of emotions in the MI camp because they had some attacking batters in the likes of Amelia Kerr, Harmanpreet Kaur, and Pooja Vastrakar in the line-up to see the chase through. MI head coach Charlotte Edwards acknowledged that the failure to hold on to the game in the last two overs nullified their effort in the previous 38 overs of the match.
"We have seen on this pitch that you need to stay in there. We'd have taken 135 at the start of the game with the short boundary on that side. I felt for the 38 overs of the game we controlled it, we just didn't control the last 12 balls of the game and ultimately that cost us a finals' spot," Charlotte Edwards said in the post-match press conference.
"We will have to go away and look at... got to give credit to RCB because they fought back and never gave up. The game is won or lost by small margins sometimes; if Harman hits that for six, it is our game. Unfortunately, it was not to be tonight.
“It's bitterly disappointing and harder for the players. They are going to relive those moments for a number of years. I am just disappointed because we played well. We responded well from the other day and played good cricket for 38 overs and probably let ourselves down in 12 balls."
Further, Edwards stated that had the ball that dismissed Harmanpreet Kaur at deep gone for six, Mumbai would have sealed the game in their favour. She conceded that the dismissal of the skipper was the ultimate turning point in the game.
"You could see the lift it gave the RCB. Equally we would back Harman to take that shot on. If it goes for six, we need 12 in the last two and we are in the driver's seat. I thought it had gone for six when she had hit it. Small margins, we can pick and poke a lot of situations from the game today, but ultimately, we were in control and we let it slip.
"You've just got to back the player to do what they think is the best in that situation. Who am I to tell Harmanpreet Kaur what's the right thing to do when she has performed the way she has in this tournament. At that point that's her shot, that's her strength. If she hits that six, we'd be sitting on our seats...dd but still with 16 needed off two overs, we should still win that game. It was a pivotal moment in the game."
Coming out to bat in the 19th over, S Sajana, who had delivered a match-winning first-ball six in her WPL debut, failed to live up to the standards and scored just a single off three balls. Before being stumped by a loopy Asha Sobhana delivery, Pooja Vastrakar could manage just four runs off four balls. That brought concerns around Mumbai’s lower-order batting, but Edwards stated that the performance wasn’t due to the lack of practice.
"They have all had opportunities throughout the season. Sajana opened the batting the other day. So they are not short of batting practice. They have all had some time out in the middle. That is not the reason we lost today. Again, we didn't play the final 12 balls as well as we should have. I am proud of the team, we fought back pretty well with the ball and were in control with the bat. Game of small margins and unfortunately, we have missed out.
"For some of these players, we quite quickly forget that someone like Sajana has only played domestic cricket. This is the biggest stage these players play on. This is the WPL semi-final. Pressure does take a toll, and that's why you want your top players there at the end of the game. It was not to be today. The players will be better for this experience but it is not easy because we have lost a game we should have won. The players in the dressing room are hurting now but will definitely learn from this and be stronger."
