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The Delhi Capitals and the Mumbai Indians meet in the final of the inaugural edition of the WPL on Sunday, March 26, at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai.
After 21 games of this five-team tournament, we’ve finally reached the finals, where two of the pre-tournament favorites will face off in a battle for the WPL trophy.
Harmanpreet Kaur’s Mumbai Indians looked like they would finish in the top spot on the points table and a direct place in the finals, with five wins in five. However, successive defeats, including a quite comprehensive one at the hands of the Delhi Capitals, saw Meg Lanning’s side overtake them on the points table and finish first due to their superior Net Run Rate.
Faced with the challenge of taking on a formidable UPW spin quartet at the DY Patil Stadium in the Eliminator, MI rose to the challenge, registering a dominant 72-run win.
Bowling first, UPW’s Sophie Ecclestone dropped national teammate Nat Sciver-Brunt when she was on 6, and the England all-rounder made them pay, scoring a splendid 38-ball 72. After posting a daunting total of 182/4 on a tricky batting surface, the MI bowlers backed their batting efforts with the ball, with Issy Wong’s hattrick stealing the limelight.
MI will walk into the final with the wind behind their sails, but a well-rested DC side won’t be pushovers. We should get a fitting end to a stellar tournament when these two top sides go head-to-head at the CCI on Sunday.
Match Details
Date: March 26, 2023
Time: 7:30 PM IST
Venue: Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai.
Weather Forecast
We should have clear skies and a warm evening on matchday, with a maximum temperature of around 28 degrees Celsius. The game should go on uninterrupted.
Pitch Report
The wicket at the Brabourne Stadium has favored the batters throughout the tournament, despite a slight dip in the scoring rate in the second half of the season. With the ground dimensions also on the side of the batters, expect another high-scoring contest on a good batting wicket.
WPL 2023: Probable XIs
Delhi Capitals
It’s six days since DC last played a match, and the long rest could be both a boon and a bane for Meg Lanning’s side. They should make one change ahead of the final by bringing seamer Tara Norris back into the playing XI for Poonam Yadav.
The leg-spinner bowled only three overs across the three matches she has played and hasn’t picked up a wicket yet. Inducting Norris back into the team will give the skipper a wicket-taking option to turn to.
Delhi Capitals: Shafali Verma, Meg Lanning (C), Alice Capsey, Jemimah Rodrigues, Marizanne Kapp, Taniya Bhatia (WK), Jess Jonassen, Radha Yadhav, Arundhati Reddy, Shikha Pandey, and Tara Norris.
Mumbai Indians
MI has hardly tinkered with their side all season, and they’re unlikely to do so after a perfect knockout game and when they’re heading into the final.
Mumbai Indians: Hayley Matthews, Yastika Bhatia (WK), Nat Sciver-Brunt, Harmanpreet Kaur(C), Amelia Kerr, Amanjot Kaur, Humairaa Kazi, Pooja Vastrakar, Issy Wong, Jintimani Kalita, and Saika Ishaque.
WPL 2023: Match Prediction
The final of any tournament is very unpredictable, and with both teams coming into this game in good form, this one could go either way. MI seems to have the firepower and the big-match players on their side, but the slower nature of the wickets suits DC more.
However, Harmanpreet Kaur’s side hasn’t lost at the Brabourne Stadium all season, and the shorter boundaries could negate some of the advantage the DC spinners have over them. That could give them a slight edge and help them become the inaugural WPL champions.
Prediction: Mumbai Indians to win the Final of WPL 2023
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