“Hello Delhi,” says the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2024 as the tournament arrives in the national capital. The first half in Bengaluru was just the build-up to what’s going to be a blockbuster and the climax will be scripted in the north. The Delhi leg of the league gets underway Tuesday at the Arun Jaitley Stadium where the home team – Delhi Capitals (DC) – will face the defending champions Mumbai Indians.
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The winning team will take the top honours on Tuesday night with 8 points whereas the losers would face stiff competition from the Royal Challengers Bangalore who have all their eyes on the knock-out qualification.
The last couple of match-ups between these two teams were hard-fought battles where Delhi were left empty-handed. In fact, the head-to-head stats show that Harmanpreet Kaur & Co have mostly been the better side; 3 wins and 1 loss in 4 matches. But DC are currently the table toppers and would not like to lose their spot, especially in front of the home crowd.
What: DC vs MI, WPL Match 12
When: March 5, Tuesday
Where: Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi
Match Timings: Toss at 19:00 hrs, match starts at 19:30 hrs
Team News: Mumbai Indians
MI, the defending champions, were back to the winning ways after defeating RCB by 7 wickets. This victory was a testament to teamwork, setting an example that if one woman is down, the next will step-up and finish the job. The team was without the services of Harmanpreet Kaur and seasoned pacer Shabnim Ismail. However, their absence wasn’t felt. Nat Sciver-Brunt’s passed the leadership Test with flying colours as her teammates made the task easy.
Form has been the key for MI this season so far. Unlike the previous season, they are more agile on the field. The openers –Yastika Bhatia and Hayley Matthews – are firing all cylinders and a formidable middle-order, comprising Sciver-Brunt, Amelia Kerr, Pooja Vastrakar & Harmanpreet has been so rock-solid that the team’s No. 8, 9, 10 & 11 batters haven’t batted in the tournament as of yet.
Special mention to Kerr who has been there at the rescue with both bat and ball. 7 wickets, 110 runs in 4 games and still counting. She is next to the highest scorer for MI, Yastika Bhatia who has garnered 121 runs in 4 games and striking at a rate of 142.
But what remains a matter of concern is the status of Kaur and Ismail. The MI skipper missed the last two games and there’s no clarity on her availability for the first game of the Delhi leg. Same is the case with Ismail who has been closely monitored by the MI medical staff.
DC Team News
Delhi Capitals – the table toppers are home for the first time since the league came into existence. Skipper Meg Lanning has been leading from the front and at the same time, continues to set newer milestones. She come fresh from a half-century against Gujarat Titans and became the fastest to 9000 runs in women’s T20s.
A 4-wicket loss in the season opener was enough to shake the team from inside. They were quick enough to recollect themselves and have been unbeaten until they arrived home. Lanning and her batting unit has been like a wall that isn’t easy to break. Alice Capsey, the top-scorer of DC, and Shafali Verma have been top-notch in their approach while the likes of Marizanne Kapp and Jess Jonassen have time and again acted as reliable SOSs. They have stepped up with the bat whenever needed and with the ball, they have been the torchbearers of DC’s bowling attack, along with Radha Yadav & Arundhati Reddy.
While Yadav leads with 7 scalps and is also the second-highest wicket-taker of the league, Jonassen, Reddy and Kapp are tied with 6 wickets each. Not to forget the little cameos from veteran Shikha Pandey; a valued resource who strikes when it’s needed the most.
But among all these consistent run-getters, there is one Indian star who is yet to shine – Jemimah Rodrigues. After a decent 44-run knock in the opener, the 23-year-old could register scores of 4*, 0 and 7. For a player of her stature, it’s frustrating to not get what you desire for in a star-studded tournament. But coming to Delhi, the fortunes may turn for young Jemimah.
Squads:
Delhi Capitals: Meg Lanning (c), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Alice Capsey, Marizanne Kapp, Jess Jonassen, Taniya Bhatia (wk), Arundhati Reddy, Minnu Mani, Radha Yadav, Shikha Pandey, Poonam Yadav, Titas Sadhu, Laura Harris, Ashwani Kumari, Aparna Mondal, Sneha Deepthi, Annabel Sutherland.
Mumbai Indians: Hayley Matthews, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Yastika Bhatia (wk), Amelia Kerr, Amanjot Kaur, S Sajana, Pooja Vastrakar, Shabnim Ismail, Keerthana Balakrishnan, Saika Ishaque, Jintimani Kalita, Amandeep Kaur, Chloe Tryon, Humaira Kazi, Issy Wong, Priyanka Bala, Fatima Jaffer.
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