What Gujarat Giants' tough night said about their Indian batters

The theory that Gujarat Giants are heavily reliant on their overseas batters seemed confirmed. With four overseas players in their top five, the long batting lineup on paper couldn't mask the obvious.

When No. 6 Ayushi Soni was retired out after a 14-ball 11—the first such instance in WPL history—it was clear Giants had given up hope on the 25-year-old in that moment.

Soni wasn't alone in struggling. Georgia Wareham had moved to 27 off 24 balls, and the scoring rate dipped during their partnership. But Giants trusted Wareham to accelerate later and pushed hard-hitter Bharti Fulmali to exploit the final overs.

The move worked. Fulmali blasted 36 off 15 balls to power Giants to 192/5—a total that felt under par on a flat pitch, especially after they were 96/2 after nine overs.

Explaining the retirement decision, head coach Michael Klinger said, "We spoke about lifting the rate. We felt after the 16th over was the time to inject Bharti. The call probably got us 20 more runs. It's tough on the individual, but sometimes you've got to make those calls."

On the other side of that partnership, 23-year-old Kanika Ahuja impressed. Promoted to No. 3 in place of the injured Anushka Sharma, she took charge early, cutting loose against Hayley Matthews and Shabnim Ismail. Her 18-ball 35 was a blitz before her dismissal.

However, by the 10th over, all three overseas batters were back in the hut. The onus fell on the inexperienced Indian batters, alongside Wareham, to carry the innings.

Fulmali flourished, but a slowdown between overs 9-16 proved costly—Giants managed only 40 runs in that phase after cruising at over 10 an over. In contrast, Mumbai Indians amassed 78 runs in the same period, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, Amanjot Kaur, and Nicola Carey, laying the foundation for their win.

On a flat DY Patil Stadium pitch, a target of 193 was within reach for Mumbai. Giants didn't help their case with fielding lapses, including three dropped catches off Harmanpreet Kaur. Soni was responsible for two of those drops, making her day more forgettable.

It would be harsh to pin the defeat solely on Soni, who was making her WPL debut. Giants' loss reflected a recurring theme: they tend to crumble when overseas players don't dominate, as they did in their first two games.

The contest went to the last over largely because of cameos from Kanika and Fulmali. They got opportunities precisely because Mooney, Devine, and Gardner collectively failed in batting-friendly conditions. Ironically, such games have often allowed inexperienced Indian players to step up under pressure.

Giants have frequently been in such positions over the last three seasons. It's no surprise that no franchise has seen as many players make it to the national team after their WPL debuts as Giants have.

Once again, Gujarat's loss turned into India's gain. Two players—23-year-old Kanika in her new top-order role and 31-year-old Fulmali at the death—made emphatic statements with both skill and temperament.

Soni may have missed her chance this time, but with Anushka Sharma injured, more opportunities could come her way.

For now, Giants hope their "player to watch" isn't hit too hard by this off-day. "We've spoken to Ayushi, and we'll continue to speak to her and keep confidence in her," Klinger assured.