Mumbai Indians regains title; Delhi falters yet again
The Hindu
Mumbai Indians clinch Women's Premier League title with thrilling win, Delhi Capitals face third straight final defeat.
Two years after winning the inaugural edition of the Women’s Premier League, Mumbai Indians added another title to its cabinet on Saturday with a heart-stopping eight-run win at a heaving Brabourne Stadium. For Delhi Capitals, losing the final for a third straight year is a bitter pill to swallow.
At the halfway stage, it wasn’t looking like a night of celebration for MI. That it had even managed to get to 149 for seven at a usually high-scoring venue was primarily due to Harmanpreet Kaur’s sublime 44-ball 66. But the fighting total turned out to be enough as MI’s bowlers restricted DC to 141 for nine.
Marizanne Kapp, who entered with DC on 44 for four, kept her side believing with a contribution of 40 in the chase. Once she was caught at long-off in the 18th over with the visitor needing another 27 runs off 14 balls, there was no further twist in the tale
On the eve of the WPL final, Harmanpreet had said that the team’s long batting line-up allowed her to play freely from the outset this season. But to walk the talk when everything is on the line is easier said than done. The 35-year-old MI skipper did the hard bit effortlessly.
Having opted to bowl, DC captain Meg Lanning couldn’t have hoped for a more impressive start from the new ball pair of Kapp and Shikha Pandey. Bringing all their experience into play, they consistently got the ball to land on a good length and let it do its bit in the air on a typically humid evening. Kapp struck twice in her four-over spell.
After eight overs, MI was 28 for two. But the 2023 champion wouldn’t have acquired the heft it has if not for its ability to counterpunch. So, Harmanpreet decided to play just as she had all season while being aided by Nat Sciver-Brunt in an 89-run partnership.
In the chase, Capitals were pegged back by the dismissals of Lanning and Shafali Verma inside the first three overs. Lanning’s stumps were dislodged by Sciver-Brunt’s off-cutter. Shabnim Ismail trapped Shafali plumb in front.
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