The inaugural Women's Premier League has had its share of memorable moments, but none more eye-catching than what transpired at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on Tuesday, March 14, 2023.
During the match between Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Giants, Harmanpreet Kaur's half-century saw MI get to 162 for 8.
Chasing 163, GG lost an early wicket and after a minor fight back, Hayley Matthews's double blows saw Sabbhineni Meghana and Annabel Sutherland walk back to the dug out.
Harleen Deol was out next before a stunning take in the deep, in the 10th over, brought the MI fans to their feet.
With Ashleigh Gardner struggling to middle the ball, she went after Amelia Kerr, only to see Jintimani Kalita go full stretch sideways to pull out a catch out of thin air.
Kalita leapt in the air and stretched to her left when she got both hands to the ball before completing the catch.
She fell to the ground, but held on the ball tightly, before exulting in celebrating one of the finest catches of the WPL.
Gujarat Giants could never recover, losing by 55 runs eventually.
Kalita's splendid catch will be among the highlights of the tournament. The 19 year old is the only player from Assam to be picked in the WPL.
A fast-bowling all-rounder, Kalita has been phenomenal at the Under-19 level, representing India B in the Under-19 Women's Challenger Trophy in 2021. Her exploits there on saw her being called up by the National Cricket Academy for a high-performance camp.
At the WPL auction, she was picked by MI for her base price of 10 lakh (Rs 1 million), a price tag she made justice to with that blinder!
