After almost three weeks of intense contests, the inaugural edition of the Women’s Premier League has come to a cue end. The main event of the glamorous league will see Mumbai Indians Women locking horns against Delhi Capitals Women at the Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai on Sunday.
The Mukesh Ambani-owned franchise would’ve directly reached the finals and gotten some break if not two losses at the late end of the league stages. They faced UP Warriorz in the WPL Eliminators and literally steamrolled the opposition, winning by massive 72 runs.
Losing the toss, the Harmanpreet Kaur-led unit was put to bat first. Hayley Matthews and Yastika Matthews gave a rollicking start and it was Nat Sciver-Brunt who steered the total from one end through the middle and last phases of the innings. They managed 182 runs with cameos from Amelia Kerr and Pooja Vastrakar.
In return, the bowlers did their job neatly and pushed the opposition right on the backfoot. Issy Wong snapped a hattrick and Saika Ishaque bagged two wickets. Other bowlers chipped in as well, cleaning up the Warriorz for 110.
On the other side of the spectrum, the Capitals were going topsy-turvy halfway through the league stages. Eventually, they got their settled XI and the side gelled as a team. They created a pattern in the league stages. The Meg Lanning-led unit won two matches and lost the third in a set pattern. On the back of the last two wins against MI and UP, they finished at the top of the points table.
The side possesses a strong balance with Shafali Verma and skipper Lanning going through purple patches. Alice Capsey and Jemimah Rodrigues have formed the middle order with Marizanne Kapp and Jess Jonassen standing tall with bat and ball in hand at the need of the hour.
What have they done so far?
Mumbai Indians started the season with a bang, thrashing Gujarat Giants by 143 runs. They went on to win as many as five consecutive games staying at the top position for a major part of the inaugural season.
Delhi Capitals secured a victory against MI in the reverse fixture
Two back-to-back losses against Delhi and UP meant the side could end up in the second spot with the same number of points as that of DC. They secured 12 points from eight matches with six wins and two losses.
On the flip side, the GMR-cow-owned franchise initiated the season with a mix of wins and losses. They were going a certain pace and lost a match against Mumbai and Gujarat. Their win against the Warriorz in the last match of the league helped them get a direct qualification to the finals.
Head to Head Record
Both teams have met each other twice in the history of WPL and the equation lies one-all. It was Mumbai Indians who won the first fixture against the Capitals by eight wickets. The latter took revenge in the reverse fixture and chased down a meagre total of 109 with nine wickets and 66 balls to spare.
Key Players
Hayley Matthews (Mumbai Indians Women): The West Indies skipper is one of the best in the business when it comes to talking with both bat and the ball. Currently, Hayley is the second run-scorer for her team with 258 runs from nine innings.
Hayley Matthews celebrates a wicket
In addition, Matthews has scalped 13 wickets with her off-spin bowling. The onus of giving a flying start with the bat will be upon her.
Marizanne Kapp (Delhi Capitals Women): There shouldn’t be an iota of doubt about how big an all-rounder figure Kapp is in Women’s cricket. She can swing the new ball as well as mix the length and pace at the slog overs.
The Proteas stalwart has scalped nine wickets in the season so far and scored impactful 30-plus runs in the last three consecutive matches. She’s a big match player and can play a big role in the box-office event.
Predicted XIs
Mumbai Indians Women: Yastika Bhatia, Hayley Matthews, Nat-Sciver Brunt, Harmanpreet Kaur ©, Amelia Kerr, Pooja Vastrakar, Amanjot Kaur, Issy Wong, Humaira Kazi, Jintimani Kalita, Saika Ishaque
Delhi Capitals Women: Shafali Verma, Meg Lanning ©, Jemimah Rodrigues, Alice Capsey, Marizanne Kapp, Jess Jonassen, Taniya Bhatia, Arundhati Reddy, Radha Yadav, Shikha Pandey, Poonam Yadav
Prediction
It’s going to be the battle of the heavyweights. It’s Meg Lanning versus Harmanpreet Kaur. Marizanne Kapp versus Nat Sciver-Brunt, Alice Capsey vs Jemimah Rodrigues, Jess Jonassen versus Hayley Matthews, and Shikha Pandey versus Issy Wong.
Both sides are well poised but if one carefully observes, the Mumbai-based franchise might get the edge with more reliable match-winners. It’s diminutive and the one who plays better cricket will clinch the maiden title.
