New Delhi [India] March 11 (ANI): Former Indian captain Mithali Raj has shared her thoughts on the recent Women's Premier League (WPL) match between Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Giants. Raj praised the experience within Mumbai Indians and credited Bharti Fulmali and Simran Shaikh with being outstanding partners who kept the Giants in the game. In an interview with Jio Hotstar, she especially praised Fulmali for her brilliant fifty, which brought Gujarat back into the game.

In the match on the 19th of WPL 2025 between Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Giants, Mumbai got the better of Gujarat, defeating them by nine runs. Mumbai captain Harmanpreet Kaur was awarded the player of the match for her brilliant fifty.

Mithali Raj shared her thoughts on Bharti Fulmali and Simran Shaikh's performance: 'I think credit goes to Bharti Fulmali for bringing the Gujarat Giants back into the game with how she played her shots, timing them beautifully. Earlier, she was a one-dimensional player who primarily scored runs on the on-side. But today, we saw her hitting sixes straight over the bowler's head and finding boundaries square of the wicket. She has improved, and I believe her experience in the Women's Premier League has helped her develop and expand her skill set. We also saw Simran Shaikh contribute with a couple of big hits, taking the game deep and getting the Gujarat Giants closer. Both of them played well.' Mithali Raj said on Jio Hotstar.

Mithali Raj commented on the Mumbai Indians' performance. She said that Mumbai Indians have brilliant experience, but she highlighted the dropped catches and missed fielding that allowed Gujarat batters to steal extra runs. 'There were dropped catches, which you rarely see from Mumbai Indians. There was a lot of chaos on the field--missed run-outs, Gujarat Giants' batters managing to steal extra runs--so there was plenty of action from both sides. For a team like Mumbai Indians, with such experienced players, you wouldn't expect these errors. But in the end, it was all part of the entertainment for us.'

Mumbai and Gujarat are second and third on the points table. Mumbai has one match left against Royal Challengers Bangalore on Tuesday. Winning against Bangalore on Tuesday can make the Mumbai Indians qualify directly for the WPL finals. (ANI)