It was a much-anticipated battle between the table-toppers of the season so far. The Delhi Capitals, led by Meg Lanning, won the toss and decided to put runs on the board. Their top heavyweight batting unit was up for a litmus test against a strong bowling unit of the Mumbai Indians. They didn’t let the DC openers get off the hook, as Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur smartly employed the match-ups by bringing on the left-arm spin of Saika Ishaque straight away in the second over of the innings. The move immediately paid dividends, as she got rid of the dangerous Shafali Verma to end the third over of the powerplay.
For a change, Delhi had a quiet powerplay for the first time this season, scoring just 29 runs for the loss of just two wickets. DC’s innings never really got the momentum they were looking for, as even their in-form Skipper Lanning found it difficult to get going. The Mumbai Indians top order made light work of the chase of 106, as they cleaned up the target with just two wickets down and five overs to spare. With 6 points from 3 games, the Mumbai Indians sit comfortably at the top of the points table.
Player of the Match: Saika Ishaque
The left-arm spinner has kept a tight stump-to-stump line, not allowing the batter to free up their arms, with the majority of her balls pitching in the fuller length area. Two of her three wickets came from around the 2.2-3.4-meter mark, encouraging the batter to drive through the off-side. This just shows the consistency and control she has over her lines and lengths, making her a threat to contend with for the batters.
Coming in at 5, Jemimah took the attack to the opposition and played some wonderful shots in her knock of 25 off 18 balls before Saika Ishaque landed a double blow in the 13th over, dismissing Lanning and Rodrigues in the same over. This proved to be the turning point of the game as DC were bundled out for 105, a couple of overs short of completing their entire quota of 20 overs.
Finest Bowlers of the Tournament so far
The Mumbai Indians bowling unit has made all the difference for them so far in the season. Their bowling is one of the major reasons why they find themselves convincingly dominating at the top of the points table. Left-arm off-spinner Saika Ishaque has been the find of the season for Mumbai Indians and is also the purple cap holder with 9 wickets to her name. Not only does she pick up wickets, but she also bowls tight spells with an impressive economy rate of 4.92 and a strike rate of 6.78, placing her in the third quadrant.
Four of the top six wicket-takers this season are Mumbai Indians, which clearly shows the volume of impact MI bowlers have had this season. Star all-rounder from the Caribbean, Hayley Matthews, is placed 2nd in the race for the purple cap with six wickets and an impressive economy rate of 6.11, placing her just on the edge of the 3rd and 4th quadrants.
Conclusion
There’s nothing much to worry about for either side, but from the DC’s point of view, their middle order needs to play sensibly and look to build more partnerships and take the game deep before trying to apply the finishing touches. For MI, apart from their top order, the batting unit has not been put under the pump as yet, so it will be interesting to see how their middle order reacts under pressure.
