The final of TATA WPL 2023

 

Finally, the day was at hand, the final between two consistent teams from among the 5 that competed in the first ever WPL of India. Unlike the expectation, Meg Lanning lead Delhi Capitals fell cheaply after they won the toss and elected to bat at the Brabourne stadium, Mumbai.

At the end of the 16^th over they were at a miserable 79/9 when the pacer Shikha Pandey and the spinner Radha Yadav came together with lion hearts and scored 52 Runs from 24 balls giving some respectability to the score in the final of the second best team of the tournament.

Mumbai Indians stuck to their strength with tremendous support from its fans who were cheering from the full stadium of their home ground and cruised forward with their Captain Harmanpreet Kaur playing a Captains innings after they had lost both their openers early. Natalie Sciver-Brunt remained not out at 60 (55b) along with Amelia Kerr who knocked in a very useful 14 Runs (8b) when the game went to the last over with DC fighting ball by ball to defend their little.  

In the end we were happy that the game lasted that long but the audience left the stadium in flocks soon after the game the victory lap and presentation ceremony were witnessed more by the TV audience than the real ones.

The Lion Heart Radha Yadav took the medal for the maximum and Natalie Sciver-Brunt once again became the Player of the Match for her winning contribution to her team.

Hayley Matthews from West Indies with her 271 Runs and 16 wickets (also the purple hat holder for the highest number of wickets) became the Most Valuable Player and the Player of the Tournament.

Picture Source: wplt20.com

Gujarat Giants V/S Delhi Capitals 11 March 2023

What was curious about Delhi Capitals playing eleven was that they had left out Sophia Dunkley who helped them bundle out the Royal Challengers Bangalore in their last match.

Marizanne Kapp and her deathly spell

Gujarat Giants won the toss and elected to bat. The seamer Marizanne Kapp from South Africa opened the bowling for GG. She was not at her best in the previous matches and looked determined with her

Source: www.wplt20.com

“go girl” look with her dark hair bundled up into a neat work-friendly knot at the back of her head. Nobody at the D Y Patil Stadium, Mumbai knew yet what a deathly spell she was about to unleash. With her second ball of the first over on the fresh pitch she yorked the GG opener S Meghana and found that golden spot for the wicket to wicket seam bowling with that deceptive in-swing. GG was one down for nil, very early in the match.

In her second over she clean bowled her fellow country women Laura Wolvaardt and in the very next ball the awesome Ashleigh Gardner was trapped Leg before. GG was 3 down for 9 in the 3rd over.

Meg Lanning kept her seamer on and in her third over Harleen Deol couldn’t read the swing and got stuck on a Leg Before Wicket. In her final over still hitting that golden spot with as much pace as in her first over she clean bowled a startled Sushama Verma. GG was almost done on 6/33.

Georgia Wareham and Kim Garth fight back

Georgia and Kim took heart and stuck on rising hope until Georgia was clean bowled by S Radha with a stunner for 22 (25b 2x4). She walked back to the pavilion knowing had she stayed on and took a run a ball or even less GG would have finished better. Kim Garth remained not out on 32 (37b, 3x4) and GG finished with 105/9 in 20 overs. 

Shafali Verma and Captain Meg Lanning

The great expectations are built around the WPL in terms of the opportunities it will bring for the women in India and for the international players. The most endearing aspect of the WPL is the opportunity for our local amateur players to learn from senior international players. How well they vibe and gel is largely dependent on the team management and the atmosphere they create in the camp, we came to see the best of that combination in Shafali and her captain who came out very aggressively to achieve their target in a very short time. From the moment Meg Lanning realized Shafali was in great nick and timing the ball very well, she stepped down to a supporting role and let Shafali roll it all the way home. DC finished the match in 7.1 overs with ten wickets in hand scoring 107 runs Meg Lanning 15 not out(15b 3x4) Shafali Verma 76 not out (28b 10x4 5x6). After the thumping victory in the post-match interview it was heartwarming to hear Shafali thanking Meg for all the advice she was giving her while they were batting.  Marizanne Kapp, naturally was the player of the Match.

Looking forward to hear about and see more of such winning local + international in the coming days, Congratulations Delhi Capitals for such a splendid game.