It didn’t take Mumbai Indians or Delhi Capitals long to let the world know that they were the two best sides in the inaugural edition of the Women’s Premier League. So it is only fair that the title will go to one of them.
Will it be Meg Lanning’s Delhi Capitals, or Harmanpreet Kaur’s Mumbai Indians? The Brabourne Stadium will provide the answer on Sunday night.
There will be a full house — the tickets for the final have been sold out — to witness the first ever champion of the WPL.
The majority of the spectators will want MI to triumph and carry forward the men’s team’s legacy in the IPL, which it has won five times.
Delhi Capitals’ men never won it. Its women have an excellent opportunity to bring the cup home.
The Delhi side entered the final in style. It had tied on points with MI but topped the table on account of a better net run-rate.
MI had to come through the Eliminator against UP Warriorz.
When MI and Capitals met in the league phase, both the games were one-sided, with the former winning by eight wickets and the latter by nine.
If Lanning is the holder of the orange cap (310 runs, average 51.66, strike-rate 141.55), and has formed the tournament’s best opening partnership with Shafali Verma (strike-rate 182.57), four of the top five bowlers are from Mumbai Indians: Saika Ishaque (15 wickets), Amelia Kerr (13), Hayley Matthews (13) and Issy Wong (12).
Quality all-rounders
Kerr and Matthews are also part of a formidable list of MI all-rounders, headed by the magnificent Nat Sciver-Brunt. Capitals also boasts one of the world’s leading all-rounders in Marizanne Kapp.
It also has the exciting young, hard-hitting all-rounder Alice Capsey. Kapp, Shikha Pandey and Jess Jonassen have been amongst the wickets.
The final should be a closer affair than the earlier meetings. The WPL deserves it.