Dottin to Matthews, wide

Matthews and Amelia Kerr are at the crease. Matthews is on strike. Dottin will open the attack

The players are out in the middle and we are ready for live action. Two in-form teams against each other, this should prove to be an exciting contest. Here we go!

Teams:

Gujarat Giants Women (Playing XI): Beth Mooney(w), Harleen Deol, Ashleigh Gardner(c), Dayalan Hemalatha, Deandra Dottin, Kashvee Gautam, Phoebe Litchfield, Bharti Fulmali, Tanuja Kanwar, Meghna Singh, Priya Mishra

Mumbai Indians Women (Playing XI): Hayley Matthews, Yastika Bhatia(w), Nat Sciver-Brunt, Harmanpreet Kaur(c), Amelia Kerr, Sajeevan Sajana, G Kamalini, Amanjot Kaur, Sanskriti Gupta, Shabnim Ismail, Parunika Sisodia

Harmanpreet Kaur: We have been waiting for this moment. Happy to be back here, looking forward to playing here. This week is important for us, hopefully we will play our best cricket. For us it's important to stay in the moment. Need to see how the pitch is behaving, will set the total accordingly.

Ashleigh Gardner: We are going to bowl, it's a fresh surface. Expecting a good wicket, let's see what happens in the first innings.

Gujarat Giants Women have won the toss and have opted to field

Pitch and ground dimensions: 58m and 52m square boundaries, 68m down the ground. A hard surface made of red soil, there will be good carry. There's little grass covering on the wicket, hence the seamers will get some help. Looks like a good batting surface, a score of 180-200 is achievable on this surface, reckons Mithali Raj.

18:32 Local Time, 13:02 GMT, 18:32 IST: Hello and welcome to the live coverage of the 19th clash of WPL 2025. Two teams that have already qualified for the play-offs will lock horns today at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai. Both these teams have been pretty consistent this season, but they still have a chance to finish first and qualify for the final today itself. Delhi, Mumbai and Gujarat - all these teams have a superior net run rate, so anyone can make it to the final by the end of the league stage. Given the home conditions and crowd support, MI Women are the favourites today, but what’s in store, you never know. Stay around for the toss and teams..

Preview

Before the league stage has even hit its final stretch, the Women's Premier League 2025 playoff spots are locked in. Yet, Monday's showdown between Gujarat Giants and Mumbai Indians is far from a dead rubber. It could determine the tournament's first finalist.

Just a few matches ago, Gujarat Giants were placed at the bottom of the table, much like where they had ended their two previous campaigns. But a stunning three-match winning streak has propelled them into a fierce three-way battle with the traditional strong teams of the tournament - Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals - for the top spot.

The equation is simple for them: a loss against MI means an Eliminator match. A win by 17 runs or a chase in 18 overs (assuming the first innings total is 180), and they leapfrog Delhi Capitals on Net Run Rate, with a strong possibility of entering the final directly. For Mumbai Indians, currently third, can strengthen their position with a victory against Giants, but even a defeat might not shut the door on their top-spot ambitions, as they will have another game to spare.

With the tournament now shifting to its most batter-friendly venue, the flat tracks would leave little for bowlers to dictate. Both teams need to unleash the firepower of their batting, a department in which Gujarat have been inconsistent and Mumbai are yet to show their ruthless best. If there's ever a time to reveal their batting might, it's on MI's home turf to end the tournament with a bang!

When: Monday, March 10, 2025, 7:30 PM IST

Where: Mumbai Indians vs Gujarat Giants, Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai

What to expect: A flat batting surface with dew likely to play a role, toss could be a big factor. Either way, if the batting units don't stutter, plenty of runs could be on offer.

Team News:

Mumbai Indians: The Harmanpreet Kaur-led side had experimented with pushing Amelia Kerr up the order to have a left-handed option in Yastika Bhatia in the middle. It offers a dual advantage for MI and they could persist with it against Giants as well.

Probable XI: Hayley Matthews, Amelia Kerr, Nat-Sciver Brunt, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Yastika Bhatia, S Sajana, Amanjot Kaur, G Kamilini, Sanskriti Gupta, Shabnim Ismail, Parunika Sisodia

Gujarat Giants: Following a three-match winning streak, the best they have witnessed across three seasons, there will be little reason for the Giants to tinker with their plans for this crucial encounter, although a move up the order for Pheobe Litchfield could be in order.

Probable XI: Beth Mooney, Harleen Deol, Phoebe Litchfield, Ash Gardner, Deandra Dottin, Dayalan Hemalatha, Kashvee Gautam, Bharti Fulmali, Meghna Singh, Tanuja Kanwar, Priya Mishra

Squads:

Mumbai Indians Women Squad: Hayley Matthews, Amelia Kerr, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Harmanpreet Kaur(c), Amanjot Kaur, Yastika Bhatia(w), Sajeevan Sajana, G Kamalini, Sanskriti Gupta, Shabnim Ismail, Parunika Sisodia, Amandeep Kaur, Akshita Maheshwari, Jintimani Kalita, Saika Ishaque, Keerthana Balakrishnan, Nadine de Klerk, Chloe Tryon

Gujarat Giants Women Squad: Beth Mooney(w), Dayalan Hemalatha, Harleen Deol, Ashleigh Gardner(c), Deandra Dottin, Phoebe Litchfield, Kashvee Gautam, Bharti Fulmali, Meghna Singh, Tanuja Kanwar, Priya Mishra, Laura Wolvaardt, Danielle Gibson, Simran Shaikh, Mannat Kashyap, Shabnam Md Shakil, Prakashika Naik, Sayali Satghare