WPL 2023: Sayka Ishaq, the spinner who took Mumbai Indians home

The opening game of the first Women’s Premier League T20 was a rather one-sided affair, with Mumbai Indians defeating Gujarat Giants in all three categories while playing on their home field. Following a massive score of 207/5, which was supported by heroic efforts from Harmanpreet Kaur, Hayley Matthews, and Amellia Kerr, the Mumbai bowlers matched the style of their batting counterparts to completely destroy Gujarat Giants. They were bowled out for a pitiful 64, which gave Mumbai the opportunity to declare themselves the winners of the inaugural WPL game.

While the magnificent and relatively unknown Harmanpreet Kaur was the best batter, Saika Ishaque oversaw the bowling staff and unleashed havoc on the Gujarat lineup. Ishaque, a left-arm spinner from Bengal, is 27 years old.who spent her early years as a member of the Kalighat Club Ladies. She progressed from there, representing the state squad in both U-19 and U-23 competitions. Since then, she has played a crucial role in the senior Bengal state team, frequently participating in the Senior Women’s ODI Tournament. She appeared in a few cameos and represented India Women -D and -A in 2021 and 2022, respectively.

Ishaque demonstrated both her bowling and batting abilities in the game against India C on December 24, 2021, with a quick-fire undefeated 24 with the help of 5 fours. She only lost once during the entire competition, and it was in the championship game when she lost for a golden duck. returning in 2022,She spoke for India A. She also had the chance to compete for the Trailblazers in the Women’s T20 Challenge series, where she met some of the biggest names in international women’s cricket. She therefore had a lot of experience playing with the stars before today’s encounter against Gujarat Giants and never appeared lost or scared throughout the game.

Ishaque grabbed the first four-wicket haul in WPL history.
Ishaque and her teammates were able to play fearless cricket in the first game because of the cushion of runs supplied by the batsmen. They were able to be aggressive without being afraid to try new things. The Giants had a severe loss early on in the game as captain and crucial batter Beth Mooney injured her ankle and couldn’t continue.She was doubtful for the next matches as a result of needing to be carried off the field.

The Giants’ batters were then unleashed by Nat-Sciver Brunt and Issy Wong, who eventually caused the top order to collapse. Giants had already lost three runs in the first four overs when captain Harmanpreet Kaur inserted Ishaque. She quickly attacked, upsetting Annabel Sutherland’s furniture, sending her packing with a personal score of 6. In the very next over, she finished her ferocious spell by eliminating Georgia Wareham, dropping Gujarat to 22/5.

Dayaland Hemlata and Mansi Joshi’s longest Gujarat inning partnership was broken by her return in the 13th over when she trapped Joshi in front of the pads.must change a play’s outcome in order to reduce the Giants’ score to 49/8. It was only fitting that Ishaque may get the chance to wrap things up in style after such a stellar stint in which she took 3 wickets for just 11 runs. That’s exactly what happened when, on the first ball of the 16th over, she clean-bowled Monica Patel to end Gujarat’s innings.

Consequently, in the opening game of the eagerly anticipated competition, 143 runs separated the victors from the second-best squad. While the hitters undoubtedly did a fantastic job of their jobs, Saika Ishaque’s bowling assured the Giants’ swift demise.

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