Former India captain Anjum Chopra has hailed Harmanpreet Kaur’s stellar performance in the ongoing Womens Premier League (WPL) 2023 saying the performances being put by her is the kind of batting one expects from the right-handed batter.

Harmanpreet hit seven fours and two sixes in her 30-ball 51 to turn around the game in the favour of Mumbai Indians, taking them to a competitive 162/8 in 20 overs against the Gujarat Giants on Tuesday night.

“You know she’s in a purple patch, don’t you? You just feel that the manner in which she’s constructing her innings, forget the fact she’s the captain of the Mumbai Indians team, but just as Harmanpreet Kaur as a batter, you know she’s in the zone.

You know she’s trying to strike the ball at will, whether it’s on the off or on the side. This is the kind of batting you expect from Harmanpreet Kaur. Not only big hits, but rotation of strike,” Anjum told broadcasters Sports18 and JioCinema after the end of the match.

Harmanpreet was named the Player of the Match for her effort, making it her third such award of this tournament.

“Everyone is so positive and wants to do well for the team. I have to give thanks to the support staff. Whenever you show trust to the team, that is when you do well,” Anjum added.

A strong bowling performance from Mumbai, with Nat Sciver-Brunt and Hayley Matthews taking three-fers each, restricted Gujarat to 107/9 in 20 overs, to win by 55 runs at the Brabourne Stadium. It meant Mumbai became the first team to qualify for the WPL 2023 playoffs.

Veteran India batter Punam Raut highlighted how crucial their performances with the ball have been in Mumbai’s current five-match winning streak.

“MI’s bowling has been consistently dominant. I spoke to Harmanpreet about it as well, I have observed that their bowling is stronger than their batting, due to their experiences. That is the reason why they have won five matches in a row,” Raut said.

Speaking after the match, Nat Sciver said Mumbai were only focusing on their own performances.

“We’re just trying to be consistent. We’ve got players taking wickets and scoring runs well. We just don’t want to be complacent. We’re doing well, playing from the heart and enjoying ourselves,” she said.

Mumbai Indians will face UP Warriorz in their next match of WPL 2023 on March 18 at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.