India, March 10 -- Mumbai Indians' homecoming in the Women's Premier League had a significant Harmanpreet Kaur stamp - as batter and captain.

On a night she slammed a 33-ball 54 and engineered some clever changes on the field, MI defeated Gujarat Giants by nine runs at the Brabourne Stadium in their first home game since becoming inaugural season champions. The win gives MI a big push towards finishing table-toppers and guaranteeing a direct final spot.

Harmanpreet's second half-century of this WPL season formed the bedrock of MI's healthy 179/6. GG were nearly down for the count after the halfway mark of the chase at 70/5 until Bharti Fulmali's stunning 25-ball 61 brought them back to life, and the equation to 23 off 12. Nat Sciver-Bru...