Replacing her, Bharti Fulmali scored 36* off 15 balls.
The Women’s Premier League has witnessed its first ever tactical retire-out during the sixth fixture of the fourth season, and it will surely be among the latest WPL 2026 news. The Gujarat Giants (GG) debutant Ayushi Soni was seen struggling in her first match of arguably the best women’s T20 tournament.
After reaching 130/4 in 15 overs against the Mumbai Indians (MI), Giants needed a strong finish from both the batters at the crease. But the right-hander was only dealing in singles, while Australia’s Georgia Wareham was finding the gaps to score some crucial boundaries.
This forced the Giants management to retire out the youngster after the final delivery of the 16th over. Experienced finisher Bharti Fulmali replaced her in the middle and played a blazing 36*-run knock off only 15 balls, after surviving successive LBW calls. Her onslaught was laced with three fours and as many maximums, including 18 runs off the final four balls from Amanjot Kaur.
The Vidarbha player’s innings came at an astonishing strike rate of 240, guiding the side to post a comprehensive total of 192/5. Wareham also finished unbeaten on 43 runs off 33 balls, accumulating four boundaries and a six.
Multiple 20-over leagues around the globe have followed the method in recent times to get the best possible results during the death overs. Fulmali’s power-packed innings after replacing Soni at the crease proved to work well for the Giants, who are currently on a winning spree to kickstart the WPL 2026 with back-to-back victories.
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After leaking 49 runs in the last three overs, MI also started off the chase on a poor note. The defending champions lost both of their openers, G. Kamalini (13) and Hayley Matthews (22), inside the powerplay. The Caribbean all-rounder was looking in good touch, scoring three boundaries and a six, but a mistimed shot off Kashvee Gautam sent her back to the pavilion.
However, the ongoing 72*-run partnership between Amanjot and captain Harmanpreet will keep the hopes alive for the MI fans to cruise them to their second consecutive victory of the season. On the other hand, Ashleigh Gardner and Co. will be in search of some more breakthroughs to continue the victorious run in the WPL 2026.
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