Harmanpreet-led Mumbai take on Lanning-led Capitals in table-top clash
A Lanning vs Harmanpreet clash in March
After the epic final of the Women's T20 World Cup in March 2020, Meg Lanning and Harmanpreet Kaur yet again lead opposite teams in a top-of-the-table clash in the WPL.
Lanning-led Delhi Capitals are quite on a roll, with the Australian captain herself hitting back-to-back half-centuries at the top of the order. Capitals' batting line-up is one of envy - power-hitters aplenty - and they have bowlers in Jess Jonassen, Marizanne Kapp and Shikha Pandey who have delivered in one spell or the other.
Mumbai Indians have strung together a side filled with allrounders and they are firing in unison. If Harmanpreet's heroics following Hayley Matthews' explosive start at the top helped them in the chase in the opener, their bowlers stymied Royal Challengers Bangalore and cruised in the second game, with Matthews starring in an all-round effort.
The Mumbai versus Capitals game could well be one of the contenders of the 'final before the final' though the WPL has a fair distance to go.
Players to watch
Shortish boundaries combined with flat surfaces could mean that it could be a perfect time for Marizanne Kapp to show her experience mainly with the ball. In the opening contest, she was a tad expensive after her cameo with the bat and if she does play her third successive game, she could be one of the key players to Capitals' success.
Amelia Kerr contributed with bat and ball in the opening contest and was taken for runs against Royal Challengers, though she picked up a couple of wickets to hasten the end. Having had the better of Lanning for some time now in international cricket, that is a player battle to relish.
Playing XIs
Delhi Capitals (possible): 1 Meg Lanning (capt), 2 Shafali Verma, 3 Marizanne Kapp, 4 Jemimah Rodrigues, 5 Alice Capsey/Laura Harris, 6 Jess Jonassen, 7 Taniya Bhatia (wk), 8 Arundhati Reddy/Titas Sadhu, 9 Shikha Pandey, 10 Radha Yadav, 11 Tara Norris
Mumbai Indians (possible): 1 Hayley Matthews, 2 Yastika Bhatia (wk), 3 Nat Sciver-Brunt, 4 Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), 5 Amelia Kerr/Chloe Tryon, 6 Pooja Vastrakar, 7 Issy Wong, 8 Humaira Kazi, 9, Amanjot Kaur, 10 Jintimani Kalita, 11 Saika Ishaque
Stats and trivia
- Both Capitals and Mumbai have two players each among the top five scorers in the WPL so far
- Mumbai have played three uncapped players while Capitals are yet to play one
Quotes
"Seeing the enjoyment and smile on her face out [from] her playing cricket again, that's something I am pleased with, as her team-mate in a number of teams. It's hard to believe Meg Lanning could get better. She was already incredible before her break, but has come [back] with a new lease of life."
Jess Jonassen heaps praise on her captain Lanning
"Being a bit more responsible at the crease is something I had to pull on with the West Indies and that has helped me in my T20 game as a whole. Probably, [I] wasn't getting the number of runs I would have wanted in the past due to giving away my hand quite a bit. Now that I am being forced with responsibility at the international level, it's helped me realise how to plan my T20 innings."
Hayley Matthews credits her T20 batting improvement to the responsibility she has got