In the final of the WPL 2023, which took place on Sunday at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai, Mumbai Indians beat Delhi Capitals by seven wickets. MI reached 134/3 in 19.3 overs while trying to get 132 runs, thanks to Nat Sciver-unbeaten Brunt’s 50. Sciver-Brunt hit seven fours and scored 60 runs without being out in 55 balls. The captain, Harmanpreet Kaur, hit five fours and scored 37 runs off 39 balls. Delhi got a wicket from both Radha Yadav and Jess Jonassen. At first, DC got to 131/9 in 20 overs. Meg Lanning’s 35 runs off 29 balls, which included five fours, were the most.
But the DC got no help, and she strangely lost her wicket. Even though wickets were falling, the last two players, Shikha Pandey and Radha played well together to stay unbeaten. Shikha hit three fours and a six to get 27 runs off 17 balls. On the other hand, Radha hit 27 runs off 12 balls, including two fours and two sixes. Hayley Matthews won the race for the Purple Cap after taking three wickets. Issy Wong also got three wickets, and Amelia Kerr got two.
What were the captains’ words?
Lanning said after he won the toss, “We’re getting ready to bat. It looks like a good pitch, and we’re going to bet on ourselves tonight. We had a good time, relaxed a few days. Tonight, we’re playing Mumbai. Spin has been a big part of this. All through the tournament, the bowlers have done well. Poonam Yadav is replaced by Minnu Mani.”
Harmanpreet, in the meantime, said, “We want to bowl first, and the toss won’t change that. The wicket looks hard, so I think it will swing. We need to keep our spirits up, because the last game was important and gave us a lot of confidence. They have a good lineup of batters, so tonight we need to bowl well. We will keep the same XI.”
Meg Lanning lauds Harmanpreet Kaur
Lanning had a lot of good things to say about Harmanpreet and MI before the match. She told the press conference before the game, “Harman is always a good challenge to face. She has shown that she is a great leader and can get things done independently and with a group. When Harman is in charge of a team, it is always a great battle. We always like it when the tournament has challenges like that.”
Harmanpreet Kaur on the issue of boundaries
In the WPL 2023, the boundaries are only between 50 and 60 meters. This has upset fans and experts, who want it to be more like the men’s game. Harmanpreet said this: “Hum logo ne thodi na rope lagaya hai. Jinhone rope lagaya hai aap unko poocho na. (We didn’t put the ropes around the area, and you should find out who did that). It’s not up to us, right? It’s up to the people in charge. You can talk to them.”
Messages from Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav to Mumbai, India. Rohit, the captain of the MI men’s team, sent a message to Harmanpreet and the rest of the team before their final. Rohit said in a video posted on Twitter, “I hope that our women’s team does well in the final. I’ve liked watching you play cricket over the last three or four weeks. It’s the final, and you don’t play finals every day. So I hope you enjoy yourselves and have a good time. Enjoy the mood, because it’s going to be great. We’ll all be cheering for you. So go out and try your hardest.”
Surya kumar, meanwhile, said, “Hello, team! As a member of #OneFamily, I want to wish each of you luck in the WPL final. I can’t wait to cheer for you, and let’s have one last great game.”
Harmanpreet Kaur, in support of the crowd
Harmanpreet is happy with how many people come to watch MI’s WPL 2023 games. She thanked the fans and said, “We were very happy that from the first day on, a lot of people have been coming, and that the crowd has been very supportive. That’s what we thought would happen, and we’re really glad it did. Last game, there were around 30,000 people there, which is something we’ve always wanted. I’m sure that tomorrow will be another big day, and the fact that so many people are coming to watch and support women’s cricket is a big deal for all of us.”