It was a night of redemption for Harleen Deol. Twenty-four hours after being forcibly retired for slow scoring, the Indian batter struck a sublime unbeaten 64 in 39 balls to take the UP Warriorz to their first victory of the Tata Women’s Premier League over high-flying Mumbai Indians at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Thursday.
Replying to Mumbai’s 161-5, after they had been put in to bat by the Warriorz, Meg Lanning’s women swept to a seven-wicket victory with 11 balls to spare.
It was the Warriorz’s first win after three consecutive defeats and gets their campaign up and running.
That maiden win feeling 💛💜#TATAWPL | #KhelEmotionKa | #MIvUPW | @UPWarriorz pic.twitter.com/7ivrzfEun7
— Women's Premier League (WPL) (@wplt20) January 15, 2026
Deol who struck the majority of her 12 fours through the off-side with sweetly timed strokes, featured in a third-wicket partnership of 73 off 49 balls with Aussie Phoebe Litchfield (25) before South African allrounder Chloe Tryon put the result beyond doubt with a belligerent unbeaten 27 off 11 balls, including four fours and a six.
An effortless innings 👌
— Women's Premier League (WPL) (@wplt20) January 15, 2026
For her sublime match-winning knock, Harleen Deol is named the Player of the Match 🏅
Relive her knock ▶️ https://t.co/e2kypAmGcO #TATAWPL | #KhelEmotionKa | #MIvUPW | @UPWarriorz | @imharleenDeol pic.twitter.com/2l7qTJR4og
It was a curious match, with the first half of each innings a far cry from the sweet-striking second.
This was particularly the case when Mumbai batted. Early swing from pacers Kranti Goud and Shikha Pandey complicated the start of the innings as G. Kamalini, in particular, struggled to hit the ball off the square.
Her partner, Amanjot Kaur, received the majority of the strike and enjoyed plenty of luck, the edge of her bat being responsible for a number of boundaries.
The pair only compiled 32 in the power play, the lowest of the tournament to date.
Amanjot was the first to go for 38 in 33 balls, completely dominating the opening partnership of 43, slog-sweeping to cow corner.
Kamalini went immediately afterwards scooping a drive to long-on off the bowling of left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone. She made just five off 12 balls.
And when Harmanpreet Kaur was brilliantly caught by a diving Tryon at square leg, MI had stumbled to 74 for three off 12.2 overs.
It was at this stage that the Mumbai innings went into overdrive with Nat Sciver-Brunt, back in the side again, striking a powerful 65 off 43 balls in an innings that included nine fours and a six.
🔟th #TATAWPL fifty for the ever-dependable Nat Sciver-Brunt 🫡#MI eyeing a strong finish with the bat 💥
— Women's Premier League (WPL) (@wplt20) January 15, 2026
Updates ▶️ https://t.co/UPFLXNFhTQ #KhelEmotionKa | #MIvUPW pic.twitter.com/C47tL17IY6
She and Nicola Carey (32* in 20 balls) blasted 85 in 44 balls for the fourth wicket as Mumbai added 93 runs in the last eight overs to finally take Mumbai to a respectable total.
It was a remarkable change in tempo for the Mumbai innings but once the swing had gone batting became much easier, particularly when the bowlers struggled to maintain a disciplined line and length. Sciver-Brunt and Carey, in particular, profited from this.
The same was true, to a lesser extent, in the Warriorz' reply, although they maintained a much faster tempo with Lanning (25 from 26 balls) helping them to get off to a solid start, reaching 42 in the powerplay.
After that it was the Harleen Deol show as the right-hand batter struck a succession of superb cuts and drives forward and backward of point.