Klinger blames fielding lapses for GG’s Eliminator exit

Klinger blames fielding lapses for GG's Eliminator exit

The phrase 'catches win matches' holds true in cricket, and the Women's Premier League eliminator between Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Giants was no exception. While Hayley Matthews and Nat Sciver-Brunt put on a batting masterclass, Gujarat's fielding lapses allowed the duo to extend their innings.

Matthews received two reprieves, and Sciver-Brunt got one, with Gujarat dropping a total of four catches. These drops, coupled with overall poor fielding, cost Gujarat the match, according to head coach Michael Klinger.

Klinger acknowledged the fielding mistakes, stating, "The Gujarat Giants' poor fielding was obvious for all to see. We would have liked to put in a better performance in the field because there was about a 40 runs swing there, -20 to us and +20 to them. We lost by 47 runs, so sometimes that can be a big difference in the game."

The Giants had an inauspicious start when star all-rounder Deandra Dottin was ruled out due to a knee injury during warm-ups. Danielle Gibson made her WPL debut in Dottin's place, having a decent outing despite the challenging circumstances.

Gibson struck early, removing Yastika Bhatia, but was then hit for a series of fours and sixes by Sciver-Brunt. She managed to pick up her senior English teammate but not before conceding 35 runs in her four overs.

Klinger praised Gibson's performance, stating, "I thought Danny did a fantastic job. She was in our squad for that specific reason, to fill Deandra's spot if she was injured or had to miss a game due to whatever reason. She got an opportunity in the last game of the tournament after training well the whole four weeks. I'm happy for her."

The decision to field first, made by Gujarat captain Ashleigh Gardner, was questioned due to the venue's bias towards teams batting first and the heavy dew in the second half of the game. However, Klinger chose not to comment on the matter, focusing instead on the pressure of defending a high total.

"When you are defending a 200-plus score, you are putting a lot of pressure on the batting group, and that's how we lost most of our wickets."