Hayley Matthews, an off-spin all-rounder for Mumbai Indians (MI), is taking advantage of the confidence she gains from the freedom her team provides. On Monday at the Brabourne Stadium, MI defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Women's Premier League (WPL).
As the opener, Hayley led Mumbai to a nine-wicket victory over RCB with three wickets and an unbeaten half-century.
After not being sold in the first round of the player auction, Hayley was selected in the acceleration round at her base price last month. With figures of 3.28, she bowled out Bangalore skipper Smriti Mandhana, Heather Knight, and Richa Ghosh to become Mumbai's best bowler.
She then came out swinging, hitting a stunning 77 not out in 38 balls to give her team its second major victory in a row and top spot in the points table.
"There wasn't much of a difference, probably because I was able to bat for a little bit longer today, but I think the freedom of this Mumbai Indians team has given me a lot of confidence. The ball is coming on nicely, and things are going well right now."
"They (RCB) put me under pressure in the first over, but yeah, happy to have come back strong. In the post-match presentation ceremony, she stated, "Harman is leading us well. We have had so many match-winners in the team."
Hayley Matthews looks great in orange, the new blue! @MyNameIs_Hayley | #OneFamily #MumbaiIndians #AaliRe... https://t.co/zR7NDO7Suk — Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) 1678158000000 Hayley and Nat Sciver-Brunt shared a magnificent 143-run partnership for the second wicket, scoring 55 not out off 29 balls.
"The hitting track is excellent. Out there, it's been fun. I was attempting to hit slightly. That's fine because it comes out in the middle of the bat. In the chase, I'd say we probably worked pretty well together. We were just talking about how to fight the bowlers, so Hayley shouldn't really be holding Hayley back.
"I guess we were fortunate tonight to consistently take wickets to keep them below 200. We try to avoid being predictable as bowlers. It's a bit tricky, so you need to be one step ahead of them. We are enjoying the two victories, and everyone is appreciating each other's success," Nat said in the end.
