White Ferns allrounder Amelia Kerr has helped guide Mumbai Indians to the inaugural Women's Premier League crown at their home ground.
Kerr scored just 14 runs in the final against Delhi Capitals, but they came at a crucial time, with her team needing 21 runs from the final two overs to overhaul their 132 target.
The Kiwi hit boundaries off consecutive balls from Aussie Jess Jonassen in the penultimate over and was at the non-striker's end, when England international Nat Sciver-Brunt scored the winning runs with three balls to spare.
Top qualifiers Delhi scored 131/9 off their 20 overs, with Australian opener and captain Meg Lanning leading the way with 35 off 29 balls, including five fours. Kerr took 2/18 off her four overs, while West Indian Hayley Matthews had 3/5 with two maidens.
Indians were in early trouble, when they lost openers Yastika Bhatia and Matthews for just 23 runs, but a 72-run partnership between captain Harmanpreet Kaur and Sciver-Brunt put them back on track.
Kaur departed for 37 with 37 runs still required, but Kerr supported Sciver-Brunt (60 off 55) to the finish.
Kerr finished among the competition's leading wicket-takers with 15 from 10 matches and most econonical bowlers with 6.45 runs per over, while White Ferns captain Sophie Devine produced the highest score of 99 for Royal Challengers and hit the most sixes (13).
Kerr was one of the big winners at the first WPL auction in February, when she went to the Indians for NZ$191,000 in a bidding war that escalated her asking price from a $77,000 base.
