Following Gujarat Giants’ dominating win over the table toppers Delhi Capitals, the Giants’ key architects for the win, Harleen Deol and Deandra Dottin came together to have a small chat about their performance, beginning to find form ahead of the Playoffs and more.
The Giants didn’t have the best of starts to the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2025, going down in three of their opening four games but have bounced back since, picking up three back-to-back wins and moved up to second place in the WPL table.
Deol spoke about her 70* which saw the Giants ease to a five-wicket win in a chase of 178 with Deol highlighting the fact that having experienced players like Ashleigh Gardner and Deandra Dottin in the batting lineup helps her go about her business.
“It was actually a very good innings. I was waiting for that (innings) for a very long time, I’ve been working hard. When you have Dotti (Dottin), Ashy (Ashleigh Gardner) and Kashvee (Gautam) in your side, it just becomes more easier,” said Deol.
Dottin also asked Deol her thoughts about the Giants’ chase to which Deol spoke about batting with Dottin and how she is left impressed each time they bat together, thanks to Dottin’s big and wide range of power hitting. Deol also mentioned Dottin’s yorker to Jess Jonassen with the ball in the first innings, which brought the Giants back into the game after a big opening partnership by the Delhi openers.
“With Jess (Jonassen), you don’t want to give her too much room, it’s just a matter of keeping it full and straight, in that blind spot (yorker length) which I am pretty glad I executed, and I got the wicket,” Dottin shared some insight about her plans to Jess Jonassen and getting her out.
Dottin also playfully shared that given Deol’s current form with the bat, Deol is the one in the team whom she would want to bat with. Deol has already amassed 200 runs this season with an average of 50 and strike rate of 120.48.
The two also spoke about their catching, with Deol almost pulling off a one-handed overhead stunner at mid-off to send Meg Lanning packing. Deol unfortunately dropped it as she made impact with the ground, but Dottin got underneath a dying one, to send Annabel Sutherland, who was just beginning to look dangerous and could’ve added 15-20 more to the scoreboard. Dottin’s catch was also a bit controversial, given that she took it inches off the ground, there was doubt whether the West Indian got her fingers underneath the ball or not but post checks, it was deemed clean.
“It was a bit of iffy-iffy, it was coming and then it wasn’t so it started to die on me. I had to make sure I get my fingers under the ball (just in case),” said Dottin. “I still think though, if you had your catch (Deol’s drop off Lanning), it would be the catch of the tournament.”
Dottin and Deol both spoke about the importance of the win, with regards to qualification to the Playoffs and how it was crucial for the Giants to pick up a win with both talking about the importance of Beth Mooney’s mid-innings pep-talk which saw the Giants turn things around after Meg Lanning and Shafali Verma’s explosive 83-run opening partnership which was talking the game away from them.
“To be honest, I think it’s actually a superb win, it was a fantastic all-round performance. We were a bit dead at the starting of the innings but after that talk Mooney gave us, checked us with a needle,” said Dottin.
“I remember, we were just talking about just qualifying and how important this game was for us,” chipped Deol.
To sign off, Dottin asked Deol about how she managed to put in a match-winning innings despite being under the weather and while Deol shared how she went about her business, she also spoke about how in the past Dottin herself, when not being at 100% has put her body on the line for the team.
“Nothing, I just had a medicine, that’s what worked for me, before the match. When you’re there in the game, you just get into the zone, for me it was (almost) like that. I know that you (Dottin) have played so many games with half a hamstring, half an ankle, so I can’t say anything in front of you,” laughed Deol.
(Quotes sourced from video posted by WPLT20 on Instagram)
