Mumbai Indians won the inaugural WPL championship in 2023. With a half-century in the tense chase, Nat Sciver Brunt stole the show for the Harmanpreet-led team. Before that, Hayley Matthews claimed a three-wicket haul while allowing only five runs to be scored in four overs. Issy Wong took three wickets as well.
MI Women Premier League Champions
After defeating Delhi Capitals by seven wickets in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) championship match at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai, Mumbai Indians added to their illustrious history as a team.
Earlier in the day, Meg Lanning of the Delhi Capitals won the toss and opted to bat first. As Shefali Verma, Alice Capey, and Jemimah Rodrigues were eliminated from the power play, Issy Wong continued to live out her dream in the competition.
DC was unable to recover from their disastrous start, finishing 79-9. Meg Lanning was dismissed for a knock of 35 in 29 after a run-out due to a mix-up with fellow Australian Jeff Jonassen even though wickets were falling all over the place.
Shikha Pandey scored 27 runs in 17 balls and Radha Yadav scored 27 runs in 12 balls as the 11th wicket pair of DC stunned the world with a stunning 52-run partnership to help the Capitals post a score of 131. Hayley Matthews was Mumbai’s best bowler, taking three wickets while conceding only five runs in four overs.
Yastika Bhatia and Matthews, Mumbai’s openers, both left the field in the first over, setting the tone poorly for the rest of the chase. Following that, the DC bowling unit slowed MI’s scoring rate, putting pressure on Nat Scivier Brunt and Harmanpreet Kaur.
The pair ensured that MI would not undergo any further setbacks in the chase by putting on a 72-run partnership. However, Harmanpreet was run-out in a crucial match after scoring 37 runs in 39 balls to bring the game back into balance.
Amelie Kerr continued her outstanding form with the bat by smashing Jonassen for a few boundaries in the 19th over, leaving MI needing just 5 runs in the final over. Nat Sciver reached her half-century while remaining calm. Nat Sciver kept her cool to easily lead MI over the line in the final over.
The MI Women’s triumph adds to their collection of five IPL (Indian Premier League) men and two Champions League medals.
When asked about her reaction, Mumbai coach and former England captain Charlotte Edwards said: “Over the moon. Winning this is one of the greatest accomplishments in my career. They (players) played for each other, and it was a wonderful experience.”
The five-team competition has been hailed as a “game-changer” in women’s cricket because it offers lucrative contracts to draw the top players.
The WPL alone brought in $690 million from the sale of its franchises and media rights, and the organizing Indian cricket board secured an impressive roster of sponsors for the 22-match competition.
Also Read | WPL Is A Game Changer
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