In the final, the Mumbai Indians defeated the Delhi Capitals by eight runs to win their second Women’s Premier League (WPL) championship.
In an exciting climax on Saturday, the Mumbai Indians won their second Women’s Premier League title thanks to the skill of captain Harmanpreet Kaur. The Delhi Capitals were lost by 8 runs, choking for the third time in a row. Despite the other batters’ lackluster performance, Harmanpreet kept her best for the big day, leading MI to a valiant 149 for 7 with to her brilliant 44-ball 66. On a strong batting pitch, MI appeared to be at least 15 runs short of the par-score, but the Delhi Capitals batsmen overworked themselves to finish at 141 for 9, even though Marizanne Kapp and teenager Niki Prasad had a late burst.The chances for the visiting team were slim after Nat Sciver-Brunt, MI’s most influential player throughout the tournament, removed DC captain Meg Lanning with an off-cutter and Shafali Verma, who hasn’t shown any signs of improving his technique, was caught plumb in front for shuffling to Shabnim Ismail.
Marizanne Kapp (40 off 26 balls) and Jemimah Rodrigues (30 off 21 balls) both made a valiant effort, but ultimately it was insufficient.
Harmanpreet’s years of experience as a renowned international captain came in help as she played like a champion and skillfully used her resources, rotating the bowlers to prevent the batters from settling in. Whether it was Shabnim Ismail (1/15), Amelia Kerr (2/25 in 4 overs), Sciver-Brunt (3/30), or Indian teenager Saika Ishaque (1/33 in 4 overs), MI took wickets exactly when DC appeared poised to mount a comeback.
Mumbai Indians were held to a valiant 149 for 7 earlier by the Delhi Capitals, who performed admirably.
After hitting Annabel Sutherland with a short-arm swat draw and left-arm spinner Jonassen for three fours, Harmanpreet changed gears with ease right away.
It was impressive to watch how the Indian captain pierced the off-side field, setting her apart from the other Indian women cricket players in terms of raw skill.When she faced Jonassen, the opposition’s most effective bowler of the competition, DC captain Meg Lanning had to remove him from the attack, and the bowling adjustments abruptly failed.
The tournament’s top scorer, Sciver-Brunt (30 off 28 balls), reached her personal 500-run mark in this edition, but she was forced to play second fiddle for once, letting Harmanpreet captivate the almost full Brabourne Stadium audience, who applauded her every move.
The duo added 89 in little over 10 overs but just when it looked that MI are setting themselves up for a big total, left-arm spinner Charani got Sciver-Brunt caught at square leg while trying to slog sweep.Jonassen’s twin smashes in the 16th over put Harmanpreet under more pressure, quickly turning the score from a secure 103 for 3 to 118 for 6.
Amelia Kerr was caught at the edge of the circle after a wild run with the bat, and Sajeevan Sajana was trapped leg-before after a botched slog sweep effort.
The MI skipper went for one shot too many, and Sutherland was the one who ultimately got him. Even though MI finished at least 15 points behind par, it didn’t hinder them in the least.
