The Gujarat Giants’ four-wicket win over Mumbai Indians on Friday night did more than secure a place in next week’s Eliminator. The match, which produced 232 runs and 11 wickets, shuffled both individual leaderboards. By stumps, Harmanpreet Kaur had pulled on the Orange Cap and Sophie Devine had reclaimed the Purple.
“Individual caps are nice, but I’d happily swap mine for two more points,” Harmanpreet told the host broadcaster, a wry smile acknowledging the irony of an unbeaten 82 in a losing cause. Her 48-ball effort carried her to 342 runs in eight innings, 21 clear of team-mate Nat Sciver-Brunt (321) and 52 ahead of RCB captain Smriti Mandhana (290).
Meg Lanning, sitting fourth on 248 for UP Warriorz, can still close the gap when her side meet Delhi Capitals in the final league fixture. Gujarat’s Ash Gardner rounds out the top five after a brisk 46 pushed her tally to 233.
Devine’s route back to the Purple Cap was simpler: two wickets for 23 and the job was done. “I didn’t even realise I’d lost it last night,” she admitted. “You just focus on your spell and the rest looks after itself.” The New Zealander now has 17 wickets, two clear of RCB all-rounder Nadine de Klerk (15). Amelia Kerr’s 2 for 26 lifted the Mumbai leg-spinner to a share of third with Delhi’s Nandani Sharma on 14 apiece, while Lauren Bell (RCB) and N Shree Charani (DC) follow on 12.
Former India seamer Snehal Pradhan liked what she saw from Devine. “She hits that hard length just outside off and makes batters play. On slow surfaces it’s gold dust,” Pradhan noted on the world feed. The numbers back her up: Devine concedes only 6.5 an over in the middle phase, comfortably the best among bowlers with ten or more wickets.
Other talking points
• All-round value: Sciver-Brunt moved past 300 runs and holds an economy rate under seven — the only player to do so on both fronts.
• Boundary watch: Mandhana’s 12 sixes keep her atop the big-hit list, though Harmanpreet’s late surge (10) is closing fast.
• Economy kings: Delhi off-spinner Radha Yadav continues to give away just 5.9 an over, crucial for a Capitals attack that can leak at the death.
Attention now shifts to Saturday night. A Delhi win would seal top spot and direct passage to the final; a UP upset squeezes the middle of the table, where net run-rate already looks decisive. “The league has never been tighter,” analyst Lisa Sthalekar observed. “Every dot ball feels like it could swing qualification.”
For now, though, the individual accolades rest with Harmanpreet and Devine — players who speak softly about personal milestones, yet keep collecting them all the same.
