WPL 2025: Why is Deandra Dottin not playing against MI-W? - Explained

Gujarat Giants will miss Deandra Dottin's services in the all-important Eliminator clash against Mumbai Indians in the ongoing Women's Premier League (WPL) 2025 on Thursday, March 13. The crucial encounter is taking place at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai.

Ashleigh Gardner won the toss and opted to bowl first. The Australian all-rounder revealed that Dottin suffered an injury minutes before the toss during the pre-match warm-up session. Gardner mentioned Danielle Gibson as the replacement for Dottin.

Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians also opted to go in for a change. They replaced Parunika Sisodia with fellow left-arm spinner Saika Ishaque, adding more experience to the lineup. The winner of this clash will lock horns with Delhi Capitals in the summit clash at the Brabourne Stadium on Saturday, March 15.

Here's a look at what the two captains said at the toss:

Gardner highlighted that the wicket is fresh and she hopes to take the positives from the last game where they ended up on the losing side but had an impressive outing with the ball against Mumbai. She admitted that there could be nerves in her camp as the Gujarat Giants are playing their first final.

"We're going to bowl. It's another fresh wicket, and we feel that we did a lot of things right the other night. Didn't get the win, but taking a lot of positives from what we were able to do in the bowling innings. Dani Gibson comes in for Deandra Dottin. It happened five minutes ago because of an injury. Really unfortunate for such a big game, but stoked for Danielle who makes her debut. It's a pretty cool opportunity and hopefully she can shine. Generally it's high-scoring. Might be a little bit in the wicket early. Everyone's super excited. We've played some really good cricket in this tournament. Apart from excitement, I'm sure there a lot of nerves as well in the camp as we've not been here before," said Gardner.

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Meanwhile, Harmanpreet said that she would have also bowled first had she won the toss. She also said that the team is aware of what it takes to excel in the Eliminator as they have played this contest twice in the past.

"Yeah it's a fresh pitch (would MI have bowled first as well?). For us, anything was okay. We have been in this situation twice and know how important this game is. Only thing which works well is when you stay in the moment. One change - Parunika is not playing and Saika is back," said Harmanpreet.