GG vs MI Highlights, WPL 2023: Harmanpreet, Ishaque star as Mumbai Indians thrash Gujarat Giants by 143 runs in opener

Matthews and Bhatia walk in to the open the innings for Mumbai. Gardner to bowl the first over for Gujarat!

Both teams walk in for the Indian national anthem!

Here are the playing XIs-

Gujarat Giants: Beth Mooney (w/c), Sabbhineni Meghana, Harleen Deol, Ashleigh Gardner, Annabel Sutherland, Dayalan Hemalatha, Georgia Wareham, Sneh Rana, Tanuja Kanwar, Monica Patel, Mansi Joshi

Mumbai Indians: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Yastika Bhatia (w), Natalie Sciver-Brunt, Hayley Mathews, Pooja Vastrakar, Issy Wong, Humaira Kaazi, Amelia Kerr, Amanjot Kaur, Jintimani Kalita, Saika Ishaque

After winning the toss, Gujarat captain Mooney said, "We'll have a bowl, good grass here. Chasing has been successful here. WPL will be exciting for the fans, looking forward to get stuck in. Last few days have been fun, very few entertaining personalities. Maybe I talk a little too quickly and they can't catch on. But pleasant experience. Few of us have experienced this before, so we can give advice to those who haven't before. First game, hope to give a good spectacle. Three seamers, four spinners, mix of experience and youth."

Meanwhile, Mumbai skipper Harmanpreet said, "It's a special day for all of us, want to enjoy this moment. This is a good wicket to bat on, but there will be something in it for the bowlers as well. We have some young players who'll be featuring today and we're looking forward to seeing how they play."

Gujarat captain Mooney has won the toss and opted to bowl vs Harmanpreet's Mumbai.

Mooney was in hot form against India in the T20I series last year and also the T20 World Cup semi-final. The pitches in Mumbai suited her style during the series and Harmanpreet will rely on Issy Wong as her key weapon. Mooney has only managed 28 runs off 16 deliveries against the England pacer. Wong has also dismissed Mooney once!

The opening ceremony comes to an end after the trophy unveiling! Toss coming up for the season opener between Gujarat and Mumbai.

The captains unveil the WPL trophy!

That is a wrap as the opening ceremony nears it's end! Dhillon, Advani and Sanon remain on the stage and are joined by the host Mandira Bedi! She calls the BCCI officials and captains to the stage!

AP Dhillon has arrived to entertain the audience with his rap songs! He starts off with Brown Munde!

The opening ceremony has shifted to Kriti Sanon dancing to Bollywood songs in the locker room.

Kiara Advani is on the stage, which has been set on the field. The Bollywood superstar will dance to a song!

The opening ceremony has begun and it has a star-studded one with Kriti Sanon, Kiara Advani and AP Dhillon!

409 players went under the hammer in the WPL 2023 auction, which took place in Mumbai last month. Here are the top-ten most expensive buys:

Smriti Mandhana: RCB, ₹3.4 crore

Ashleigh Gardner: GG, ₹3.2 crore

Natalie Sciver: MI, ₹3.2 crore

Deepti Sharma: UPW, ₹2.6 crore

Jemimah Rodrigues: DC, ₹2.2 crore

Beth Mooney: GG, ₹2 crore

Shafali Verma: DC, ₹2 crore

Pooja Vastrakar: MI, ₹1.9 crore

Richa Ghosh: RCB, ₹1.9 crore

Sophie Ecclestone: UPW, ₹1.8 crore

The blockbuster opening ceremony is scheduled for 6:25 PM IST. Fans are eagerly waiting for Kiara Advani, Kriti Sanon and musical sensation AP Dhillon. We will also see Shankar Mahadevan perform the official WPL anthem!

Ahead of the match, MI captain Harmanpreet said, "I think this (WPL) is a great platform for all Indian players. We have been missing this tournament for a long time. In Australia, the WBBL, and The Hundred in England have produced so many hidden talents. After the WPL, we are definitely going to get some great talents."

Ahead of the match, GG captain Mooney said, "The game has evolved at a very rapid pace over the years, back in Australia and globally as well. I had not made by Australia debut before the conclusion of my first season of WBBL, and that gave me a lot of confidence to be able to perform on the world stage against some of the best players going around. So, I think that’s what the WPL will do, it could offer the young players a pathway into the Indian side and compete with the best."

GG: Ashleigh Gardner, Beth Mooney, Sophie Dunkley, Anna Sutherland, Harleen Deol, Deandra Dottin, Sneh Rana, S Meghana, Georgia Wareham, Mansi Joshi, D Hemalatha, Monica Patel, Tanuja Kanwer, Sushma Verma, Hurley Gala, Ashwani Kumari, Parunika Sisodia, Shabnam Shakil

MI: Harmanpreet Kaur, Nat Sciver, Amelia Kerr, Pooja Vastrakar, Yastika Bhatia, Heather Graham, Isabelle Wong, Amanjot Kaur, Dhara Gujjar, Saika Ishaque, Hayley Mathews, Chloe Tryon, Humairaa Kaazi, Priyanka Bala, Sonam Yadav, Jintimani Kalita, Neelam Bisht

The WPL 2023 opening ceremony is scheduled for 6:25 PM IST. Earlier it was supposed to begin from 5:30 PM IST, but has been rescheduled. It will take place in the same venue as the season opener and will see Bollywood stars Kiara Advani and Kriti Sanon perform. There will also be a performance from musician AP Dhillon. Meanwhile, Shankar Mahadevan will perform the official WPL anthem.

Hello and good evening everyone! Welcome to our live coverage of today's WPL 2023 season opener, as Gujarat take on Mumbai in Navi Mumbai. Stay tuned for some exciting cricket folks!