Sunday’s inaugural Women’s Premier League (WPL) final at Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai will feature the Mumbai Indians vs. Delhi Capitals. The Mumbai Indians will try to finish a stellar Women’s Premier League (WPL) season by defeating Delhi Capitals.
After three half-centuries earlier in the competition, Harmanpreet Kaur’s form has left her, and had it not been for Nat Sciver-unbeaten Brunt’s 72 in the Eliminator versus UP Warriorz on Friday, the event’s outcome may have been different.
Harmanpreet’s 14 runs in the Elimination might have been disastrous for the Mumbai franchise, but Nat Sciver took advantage of the dropped catch to make a mockery of the Warriorz bowling.
Players did not place boundary ropes
Even though Delhi Capitals will be playing in front of a biased audience at the Brabourne Stadium, Australian stalwart Meg Lanning might take advantage of Harmanpreet’s poor batting form to go all out.
Delhi Capitals, despite a sluggish start, eventually displaced Mumbai Indians at the top of the points table, mostly due to the success of Lanning, the leader of the batting charts, and all-rounder Marizanne Kapp.
Despite this, it would be pointless to identify a favorite, as both sides have been brutal, clinical, dominant, and unsuccessful at various tournament stages.
Delhi and Mumbai both concluded the group stage with equal 12 points, with only the net run rate separating them from first place.
Mumbai Indians asserted their dominance by defeating Delhi Capitals by nine wickets, but Delhi Capitals returned the favor with an equal victory.
On the basis of their record at the Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai Indians hold the advantage, having won all three games to date, while Delhi has two victories and one loss at the site.
Nat Sciver might play another of her mesmerizing centuries, which saw her smash UP Warriorz bowlers all over the park in Friday’s Elimination, if Harmanpreet’s form is a concern.
Nat Sciver is one of the greatest all-rounders on display, with the third-highest amount of runs (272), two half centuries, an exceptional average of 54.40, and 10 wickets in nine games. It would be difficult for Delhi Capitals to stop the ruthless batsman in the championship match, considering the England cricketer’s history of dominant performances.
Nat Sciver has been most lethal with the bat in the WPL’s final five overs, as the UP Warriorz discovered Friday night when she helped MI score 66 runs in the final five overs.
Hayley Matthews, another Mumbai Indians all-rounder (258 runs, 13 wickets in nine matches), has been inconsistent of late but remains an important part in the team’s lineup, while Yastika Bhatia will seek to adopt a brave approach with the bat.
Harmanpreet Kaur on the topic of narrow WPL margins
With two more wickets, Mumbai’s Saika Ishaque (15) might surpass UPW’s Sophie Ecclestone as the WPL’s leading wicket-taker (16). With players like Isabelle Wong (13 wickets) and Amelia Kerr (12), Mumbai Indians will aim for another successful bowling performance.
Lanning would like to add the first WPL trophy to her collection following her recent record-breaking fifth T20 World Cup victory in South Africa. The Australia captain is the WPL’s leading scorer with 310 runs (average 51.66), including two half centuries. The Mumbai Indians cannot afford to lose him.
The highlight for Delhi has been Lanning’s leadership and Marizanne Kapp’s phenomenal all-round performance (159 runs, 9 wickets in eight matches). The middle overs can also be severely damaged by Alice Capsey’s powerful pounding.
In addition to pinning their hopes on international players, Delhi will also be rooting for Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Shikha Pandey, and Radha Yadav.
Groups (from):
Shafali Verma, Alice Capsey, Radha Yadav, Shikha Pandey, Marizanne Kapp, Titas Sadhu, Laura Harris, Tara Norris, Jasia Akhtar, Minnu Mani, Taniya Bhatia (wk), Poonam Yadav, Jess Jonassen, Sneha Deepthi, Arundhati Reddy, Aparna Mondal are members of the Delhi Capital
Mumbai Indians: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Nat Sciver-Brunt, Amelia Kerr, Pooja Vastrakar, Yastika Bhatia (wk), Heather Graham, Isabelle Wong, Amanjot Kaur, Dhara Gujjar, Saika Ishaque, Hayley Matthews, Chloe Tryon, Humaira Kazi, Komal Zanzad, Priyanka Bala, Sonam Yadav, Neelam Bisht, Jintamani Kalita
