‘She has gone under the radar’ - Punam Raut praises Yastika Bhatia’s WPL outings

Mumbai Indians (MI-W) defeated UP Warriorz (UP-W) by 72 runs in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) Eliminator on Friday, March 24. By virtue of the win, Harmanpreet and Co. booked their spot in the final against Delhi Capitals (DEL-W). The summit clash will now be played between at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday, March 26.

During a post-match discussion on Sports18, India cricketer Punam Raut was asked about her thoughts on Mumbai Indians keeper-batter Yastika Bhatia's performances in the WPL 2023 thus far. Raut was full of praise for Bhatia for her performances. She also pointed out that Bhatia did not get enough opportunities before the WPL.

"She has gone under the radar. She has not got too many opportunities before this. She has played for India as well but didn't get enough chances to prove herself. But the sort of cricket she is playing in the WPL enhances her stature as a batter," Raut said.

"There is no risk factor seen in her game. She prefers playing orthodox cricket and is scoring runs doing that only. It will be worth seeing how she fares in the final because quality is known when you play big games."

"She played a good knock today as well. She couldn't make a very big score but she showed her intent in the shots she played. If she shows the same intent in a big game, she might be able to score runs," she added.

Mumbai Indians beat UP Warriorz by 72 runs in WPL Eliminator

Yastika scored a useful 21-run knock to help Mumbai Indians post 182 in the WPL Eliminator on Friday. Issy Wong claimed a four-wicket haul as Mumbai Indians bundled out UP Warriorz for 110 to register a 72-run win and reach the first-ever WPL final. Earlier, Nat Sciver-Brunt scored a brilliant knock (72* off 38) in MI's innings.

The MI wicketkeeper-batter has amassed 210 runs in nine innings at a strike rate of 111.70 in WPL 2023. Notably, she hasn’t scored a half-century in the tournament.

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