A game that will be remembered not only by fans across the country but also by the players themselves. A tournament that had been anticipated for a long time finally got the green light, bringing together a large number of fans, including little champs and girls aspiring to take up the sport, to watch women cricketers from all over the world step onto the pitch and put on an absolute display of talent. After such an exciting tournament, with all of the ups and downs along the way, it was only fitting to end it with a thrilling and well-contested final. With a packed, sold-out Brabourne stadium in Mumbai, the Tata WPL final lived up to, if not exceeded, all expectations.
After winning the toss, DC captain Meg Lanning chose to bat first in an important final. They lost their top order early in their attempt to put up a good total against a formidable MI batting lineup. Skipper Meg Lanning stayed in for a while, trying to soak up all the pressure, but she kept losing partners at the other end, eventually losing her wicket via a runout. DC was in danger of being rolled out even before they had completed their entire quota of overs, until the bowling all-rounders came to their rescue, posting a respectable total on the board, giving the bowlers something to bowl at after they found themselves at 79/9.
Phase-wise Comparison
The decision to bat first backfired, as they were reduced to 35 for the loss of three wickets, losing their top order inside the powerplay, despite being unlucky at times with on-field decisions going against them. The DC captain stayed in to try to extend the innings, but her scratchy knock (35 off 29) resulted in a run-out. The DC collapsed as a pack of nine wickets, losing four wickets in 26 balls and scoring only four runs. Shikha Pandey and Radha Yadav decided to attack the MI bowlers when they were 79/9 in 16 overs and in danger of being bowled out before completing their quota of overs. DC passed the 130-run mark (131/9) at the end of their 20 overs after the pair added 52 runs from just 24 balls for the 10th wicket.
Chasing a 132-point target, MI fell just short in terms of powerplay scoring (27/2), losing both of their openers in a difficult chase. The entire DC unit was pumped, with skipper Meg Lanning in her element, ringing in all the changes in the pitch and attempting to tighten the squeeze even more. MI’s two most experienced batters, Harmanpreet Kaur and Nat Sciver Brunt, were at the plate, attempting to seize control of the chase. The pair ensured that there were no further hiccups in the chase by putting together a 72-run third-wicket partnership.
Game-Changing Moments
DC had a quiet start to their innings, scoring just 2 runs in the first over. Shafali Verma decided to take the attack to Issy Wong, scoring 10 off her first two balls. Wong dishes out a juicy full toss to dismiss her, though S Verma would feel hard done by, with the decision not going her way. They lost another batter to a full toss by Wong, proving to be her most productive, wicket-taking ball in the final.
MI found themselves in a tricky situation in the chase, but the experienced duo of Harmanpreet Kaur and Nat Sciver Brunt steadied the ship. Just when things looked set for an early finish, MI lost their skipper to a runout. Amelia Kerr immediately took the attack to Jess Jonassen, scoring 15 runs in an inning, taking the pressure off a struggling Nate Silver.
Conclusion
Just as it appeared that the duo would lead the Mumbai Indians to victory in the chase, they were run out, bringing back bitter memories of a T20 World Cup semi-final. Fortunately for MI, this time the team came out on top. The inaugural Tata WPL season was a game-changing moment for women’s cricket, especially in India. The WPL has finally started the evolution of women’s cricket for India and all the other teams competing in women’s cricket.