WPL 2026: Why did Nat Sciver-Brunt miss MI-W vs GG-W clash?
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Nat Sciver-Brunt played a crucial role in the Mumbai Indians’ victory over the Delhi Capitals on Saturday.
Mumbai Indians faced Gujarat Giants in the sixth match of the WPL 2026 at the Dr DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Tuesday, January 13. The Indians, who returned to the winning ways with a 50-run triumph over Delhi Capitals in their last game, were missing English all-rounder Nat Sciver-Brunt.
Nat Sciver-Brunt played a crucial role in Mumbai’s win over Delhi on Saturday, scoring 70 runs and taking 2 wickets while conceding 29 runs in three overs. Thus, her omission from the defending champions’ playing line-up against the Giants came as a surprise to the WPL fans.
Why was Nat Sciver-Brunt not playing against the Gujarat Giants?
The news was revealed by Mumbai’s captain, Harmanpreet Kaur, after she won the toss against Gujarat Giants and decided to bowl first. The English all-rounder missed MI’s third match of the tournament due to illness.
Harmanpreet Kaur addressed Nat Sciver-Brunt’s omission from the playing line-up while also talking about West Indies’ Hayley Matthews’ return. Kaur claimed that the 33-year-old failed to recover on time for the third game of the season, while Matthews is set to play her first match in WPL this year.
She said (via Cricket.com), “Hayley is fit, and she is back. Unfortunately, Nat is unwell today. Hayley does well with bat and ball, and hopefully, she can take the responsibility for the team.”
Nat Sciver-Brunt has solidified her place as one of the most experienced and important players in Mumbai’s line-up. She has played 31 matches for the Mumbai Indians in the WPL, accumulating 1101 runs while also excelling with the ball and taking 35 wickets.
This season, she has scored 74 runs with an average of 37 while maintaining a strike rate of 151.02. The 33-year-old has also picked up three wickets for the Indians in the two initial matches of the season.
Sciver-Brunt’s absence will also disturb the existing combination in the line-up. Thus, her absence will surely be a blow for the defending champions.
The 33-year-old was replaced by another MI veteran, Hayley Matthews, in the line-up. The West Indies all-rounder played a key role in Mumbai’s second WPL triumph last year. In 10 matches, she scored 307 runs with a strike rate of 122 and took 18 wickets.
Why did Nat Sciver-Brunt miss the WPL match?
She missed the game against the Gujarat Giants due to illness.
Who replaced Nat Sciver-Brunt in the Mumbai Indians’ line-up?
Hayley Matthews replaced the English all-rounder in MI’s line-up.
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