Mumbai, March 12 After putting up a remarkable show on the league stage, the Gujarat Giants will leave no stone unturned to make it to their maiden Women’s Premier League (WPL) final when they take on the Mumbai Indians in the Eliminator at the Cricket Club of India's Brabourne Stadium here on Thursday.
Ahead of the contest, Gujarat Giants head coach Michael Klinger believes his side has what it takes to go all the way in the competition. “Our goal at the start of the season was to qualify for the final, so we can certainly tick that off now. Now that we're here, we desperately want to win the whole thing, and there's no reason we can't do that. We know when we play anywhere near or close to our best, we can beat most teams in the competition”, he reckoned.
Speaking about how his team has executed their aggressive approach this season, Klinger said, “We've talked a lot about staying disciplined for longer than the opposition and staying in the fight longer than the opposition. I think we've shown that in games we've won and probably in a couple that we've just fallen short as well.”
Gujarat Giants had a challenging start, winning just one of their first four matches, but they turned things around with a stunning fightback, registering three consecutive wins to secure a playoff spot in the WPL for the first time.
Reflecting on the campaign, the former Aussie player credited his players. “Having some of our local players step up has been one of the main reasons for us strengthening this year. Harleen's had a great season batting both in the middle and number three. Kashvi, Priya, and Bharti have stepped up nicely as well. So having the local players and the overseas players stepping up throughout the season has put us where we are at the moment,” he said.
Klinger gave some insight into his plans for the Mumbai Indians in the Eliminator. He said, “I think there's no doubt that they rely a lot on their top four or five batters. If we can break through that top order and put pressure on the middle order coming in a bit earlier, then that will make a huge difference.”
“We'll go through what they might try and do, and we'll be well-planned leading into tomorrow”, he concluded.
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