Cliff Notes – Harmanpreet and Sciver-Brunt – fire, ice, and a touch of MI at the World Cup

Nat Sciver-Brunt and Harmanpreet Kaur, both pivotal players for Mumbai Indians, will face off in a crucial Women’s World Cup match, with England currently unbeaten and India seeking to recover from two losses.
The contrasting training styles of Sciver-Brunt’s high-energy drills and Harmanpreet’s focused practice reflect their differing approaches as they prepare for the high-stakes encounter.
Charlotte Edwards, England’s head coach and former MI leader, has instilled a process-oriented mindset in her players, emphasising tactical clarity and mental resilience ahead of the match.

Harmanpreet and Sciver-Brunt – fire, ice, and a touch of MI at the World Cup

The difference is palpable. You have to get off the main road and into a bylane to enter the media gate at the Holkar Stadium in Indore. The bylane is distinctly quiet, free of the honking and the frequent bustle of vehicles. The silence is almost deafening.

Quite the contrast. Much like Nat Sciver-Brunt and Harmanpreet Kaur at training on Friday.

Sciver-Brunt was just everywhere. She was partaking in some catching and fielding drills one moment. In the other, she was the first at spot-bowling in one of the two training nets. And then she was bowling to Tammy Beaumont and Sophia Dunkley. Next scene, she was batting in the adjacent net, facing throwdowns and then the England bowlers. Not long after, she changed her training jersey to fulfill broadcast commitments. A packed, hot afternoon in Indore for the England captain.

By the time Harmanpreet and co. strode in, the sun had given way to a dark, cloudy sky. The floodlights came on almost right on cue. She had a relaxed stroll in the outfield before hitting the straps running. There was a slight drizzle just before India’s arrival. As a result, India chose the enclosed nets facility (Amay Khuraysia practice arena) just behind one of the east stands. Harmanpreet was a picture of focus there. She batted in pairs with Jemimah Rodrigues and faced a variety of India bowlers. India used two pitches in the facility – one with a red-soil pitch and the other with a black-soil one. She batted in both of them for close to 90 minutes. After that, she bowled to Deepti Sharma for a bit.

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Sciver-Brunt and Harmanpreet have had many match-winning partnerships in the WPL for Mumbai Indians (MI), who have won two titles in three seasons. They have plotted the downfall of many of Harmanpreet’s India team-mates including Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues among others, with Sciver-Brunt being her deputy. But come Sunday at the Women’s World Cup 2025, the duo will be in opposite camps, shoring up plans to take the other down as India and England clash at a crucial stage. England are yet to lose a game and are on seven points, while India are coming on the back of two successive losses and have only four points in four matches.

Then there is Charlotte Edwards, who left her MI job after overseeing their successful three years to become England’s head coach. India and England played a bilateral series in July with the MI leadership split across both teams. But this is surely the most high-profile game, a sellout at that.

“In my 15-16 years of coaching, whenever I have had a chance to work as an assistant coach, my best experience was under Anju [Jain] di at Bangladesh. After that, I would definitely take Charlotte’s name,” MI batting coach Devika Palshikar tells ESPNcricinfo. “She is tactically brilliant. She gave us a free hand, our roles were quite clear. In a short tournament like the WPL, it is important to keep the players in a good space mentally. Charlotte is really good at that.”

Such signs are aplenty for England at this tournament. Linsey Smith, who has opened the bowling several times in T20Is, was asked to do the role in ODI cricket for the first time, and she delivered. Emma Lamb hasn’t batted outside the top order in domestic cricket, but she has been backed to come good in the middle order here. That is partly because England also need middle- and lower-middle order batters who can bowl some spin.

Harmanpreet Kaur hugs Charlotte Edwards after the win BCCI

“Charlotte doesn’t put pressure on the results,” Palshikar, who also helped bridge the language barrier at MI, said. “It is always about the process. She gives small, specific targets to players. For example at MI, [openers] Hayley [Matthews] and Yastika [Bhatia] have to take care of the powerplay. After that Nat is there, and she and Harman [Harmanpreet] can have a good partnership.”

Edwards and Sciver-Brunt aside, England also have Benji Hoppitt, the performance analyst at MI. Palshikar calls him “a mastermind who helps us trick opponents”. Edwards and Hoppitt have worked together at Sydney Sixers in the WBBL and Southern Brave at the Hundred apart from MI and England.

“Benji has very good insights. He is thorough. He is the best analyst I have worked with so far. We now know why Charlotte and Benji work together everywhere!”

That is not to say that England have the upper hand. Harmanpreet has been in the international circuit for over 16 years. Perhaps no one moved the needle as much as she did with her 171 not out against Australia in the 2017 World Cup. And even at 36, few can match her for power with the bat.

“Harman is very experienced,” Palshikar says. “She played on Indian soil for close to 20 years. So she knows about the grounds and other things. And she is tactically sound and assured.”

Palshikar and Edwards also worked together to help Harmanpreet play attacking cricket from an earlier point in T20 cricket, a move that helped MI lift a second title earlier this year.

“Her consistency at the WPL is unmatched,” Palshikar says. “The way she plays freely, I actually see a different Harman with us. She has been given a free hand and the confidence reflects.

Her routines also help her a great deal. She knows how to keep herself mentally and physically fit. She is very professional. She knows to cut off from the outside world, she is thorough in keeping a minimum screen time ahead of games. That is something for youngsters to see and learn.”

A sub-plot to this great MI divide is a Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) duel. Luke Williams and Smriti Mandhana, head coach and captain of the title-winning team in WPL 2024, will also be in opposite camps. Williams is Edwards’ assistant while Mandhana is India’s vice-captain.

Palshikar was India’s assistant coach when Mandhana played her first T20 World Cup in 2014. The pair also worked together earlier this year at Ratnagiri Jets in the Women’s Maharashtra Premier League (WMPL).

“I was lucky to work with Smriti at WMPL,” Palshikar says. “I last worked with her in 2014. The Smriti of 2014 and now the Smriti of 2025 – oh, I was so impressed with her. I have worked with so many players. But [Harmanpreet and Mandhana] are true legends. After Mithali [Raj] and Jhulan [Goswami], India will forever have these two legends.”