WPL 2023: Harmanpreet Kaur smashes 65 in 30 balls, breaks this record with Mumbai Indians win

Indian women’s cricket team captain Harmanpreet Kaur roused the entire stadium with cheers during the first match of the WPL 2023 on March 4, Saturday. Kaur’s performance in the Mumbai Indians vs Gujarat Giants match stunned the audience and got unmatched cheers.

The inaugural match of Women’s Premier League 2023 commenced on March 4 between Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Giants, where Harmanpreet Kaur led MI to their first victory of the season with the fastest half-century in the history of the premier league.

Harmanpreet Kaur smashed 65 runs off just 30 balls in the first match of the WPL 2023, a feat that will always be remembered in the history of the Women’s Premier League. Apart from this, Harmanpreet also smashed 14 fours during her entire innings.

The Indian team skipper ended up setting a new record in the history of the WPL 2023 and women’s cricket, when she smashed seven boundaries in a row, making 28 runs off just 7 balls in the inaugural match of the tournament.

Just liked how Harmanpreet hit 7 consecutive boundaries today, Gayle did it as well in 2011 against Prasanth Parameswaran of Kochi Tuskers Kerala.

Only difference is, Gayle hit 4 sixes & 3 fours in an over, while Harmanpreet hit 7 fours across two overs.

— Gurkirat Singh Gill (@gurkiratsgill) March 4, 2023

By hitting seven fours in a row, Harmanpreet Kaur replicated the record set by West Indies batsman Chris Gayle, who had hit seven boundaries in seven balls consecutively. The only difference is that Gayle had hit four sixes and three fours in seven balls.

It must be noted that Indian cricketer Suresh Raina had achieved a similar feat during the 2014 IPL Qualifier 2 between Chennai Super Kings and Punjab Kings as he smashed two sixes and five fours in an over to Parvinder Awana, hitting seven total boundaries in seven balls.

The inaugural match of the WPL 2023 came with a big blow for the Gujarat Giants with Harleen Deol dismissed in the first over, and team captain Beth Mooney retiring with an injury at the start of the innings.

The opening ceremony of the WPL 2023 was star-studded and jam-packed with stellar performances with headliners such as Kiara Advani, Kirti Sanon, and AP Dhillon, after which the five captains unveiled the trophy of the Women’s Premier League 2023.

READ | Watch: Harmanpreet Kaur breaks down in front of ex-captain Anjum Chopra after heartbreaking semi-final defeat