The WPL 2023 started with a match between Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Giants on March 4. The similarities between the first-ever IPL match in 2008 and the WPL’s opening game are noteworthy. Mumbai Indians won the match by a massive margin of 143 runs, scoring 207 runs in their first innings. Gujarat Giants struggled to chase the target and managed only 64 runs. The match saw the injury of Gujarat Giants’ captain Beth Mooney.
1. One Opener of the winning side had a strike rate of less than 100
Mumbai Indians Women and Kolkata Knight Riders scored 200+ in their respective league’s maiden season. However, one of their openers had a slow start. MI’s Yastika Bhatia scored one run from eight balls, while KKR’s Sourav Ganguly managed 10 runs off 12 balls.
2. Losing Captain’s Decision To Field First
Gujarat Giants Women and Royal Challengers Bangalore won the toss, but their decision to field first didn’t work in their favor. Mumbai Indians Women and Kolkata Knight Riders, respectively, made huge scores, which proved to be challenging targets for the Giants and RCB to chase down.
3. The losing Team Outperforms the Winning Team’s Top-Scorer.
In two separate matches, the Mumbai Indians and RCB had their top scorers outscore the entire opposition team. Harmanpreet Kaur scored 65 runs while the Gujarat Giants were all out for 64. Similarly, Brendon McCullum’s unbeaten 158 was nearly double the 82 runs scored by RCB in their first match of IPL.
4. Start Time of the Matches
IPL match between KKR and RCB began at 8:00 PM IST on April 18, 2008. The WPL game between Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Giants was rescheduled to 8:00 PM IST on March 4, 2023, instead of 7:30 PM IST. Consequently, both matches had the same toss and start time.
5. Team Batting 1st Wins by 140+ Runs in IPL and WPL Openers
The scorecards of the first IPL and WPL matches bear a resemblance. The margin of victory in both matches is strikingly similar. KKR scored 222/3 in 20 overs, restricted RCB to 82, and won by 140 runs. Mumbai Indians scored 207/5 in 20 overs, bowled out Gujarat Giants for 64, and won by 143 runs.