Mumbai Indians' captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who missed the recent clash against UP Warriorz due to a niggle, is slated to make a comeback in the upcoming Women’s Premier League (WPL) fixture against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) this Saturday. The defending champions suffered a setback in the absence of Kaur, losing the match by seven wickets.
MI Head Coach Charlotte Edwards expressed confidence in Kaur's return, confirming her availability for the crucial match against RCB. Kaur has been the standout performer for MI in WPL, leading the run-scoring charts with 101 runs from two matches, including a fifty.
“Yeah, unfortunately, Harman was not available for selection today (Wednesday). But she should be back for Saturday (against RCB), and I am really confident on that,” said Edwards in the post-match press meet.
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In addition to Kaur, MI faced another setback as veteran pacer Shabnim Ismail was unavailable due to a niggle. Edwards stated that Ismail's fitness is under close observation, hinting that she might miss the clash against Royal Challengers. “We’re just waiting on Ismail. It shouldn’t be too long. But obviously, we don’t want to kind of bring her back too early,” she said.
Ismail is the second-highest wicket-taker for MI, with four wickets from two matches, trailing leg-spinner Amelia Kerr, who tops the chart with seven wickets from three matches.
Meanwhile, UP Warriorz also have injury concerns, with opener Vrinda Dinesh undergoing a shoulder scan after sustaining an injury while fielding. Dinesh landed awkwardly on her right shoulder while attempting to stop the ball near the boundary during Mumbai’s innings. “She is getting scanned in the hospital, as we are waiting for an update,” said UP batter Kiran Navigre in the post-match press conference.
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