3 reasons why Delhi Capitals are favorites to win WPL 2024 final

The final of the second edition of the Women’s Premier League will see Delhi Capitals (DC) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) crossing swords at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday, March 17. While DC topped the table to directly enter the summit clash, RCB defeated MI in the Eliminator to make it through.

The Eliminator was a thrilling encounter between defending champions MI and RCB. The Harmanpreet Kaur-led side restricted RCB to a low score and set themselves a chaseable target. But RCB bowlers held their nerves till the final delivery and went on to win the game by five runs.

Chasing a target of 136 runs, MI took the game down the wire, with them needing 12 off the final over. The equation then came down to the inaugural champions needing seven off the final delivery to tie the game and impose a super over.

Asha Sobhana kept things tight and conceded just six runs, helping RCB win the game and set up a final date with DC. Meg Lanning and Co. will be motivated to win the title this time, having missed out on the opportunity last year.

Delhi Capitals put up dominating performances this season too and made it to the final for the second consecutive time. Having gotten a second chance, they’d be raring to go and get their hands on the silverware.

On that note, let us discuss three reasons why the Delhi Capitals are the favorites to win the WPL 2024 final:

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#3 Strong and in-form pace unit

DC’s bowlers have been remarkable this season. Three out of the top five wicket-takers this season don the DC colors. Their pace sensation Marizanne Kapp sits on top of the charts while Jess Jonassen takes up the third spot, with both ties at 11 wickets a piece.

Radha Yadav is fourth on the list with 10 wickets to her name as the three bowlers are in contention for the Purple Cap. Opposition batters have found it very difficult to tackle Kapp’s new-ball techniques in the powerplay overs.

While Marizanne Kapp has put up dominating performances in the powerplay across the two editions, Radha and Jonassen have dominated the middle and death overs, respectively, making DC’s bowling unit one of the strongest.

The RCB bowlers have also performed well but DC bowlers’ consistent performances keep them on top and a result, make them strong contenders for the coveted cup.

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#2 Dominance on home ground and pitch knowledge

Both DC and RCB have played four matches at the Arun Jaitley Stadium this season. While the former have won three games while suffering one loss, the latter have won two and lost as many games on this surface.

Notably, the lone game that Delhi lost on this turf was a closely contested match against UP Warriorz. Delhi’s batting unit couldn’t handle the pressure when they needed 10 runs to win off the final over. They ended up losing the contest by a mere one run.

But they followed it up with two back-to-back victories and topped the points table with 12 points from eight matches. They have put up noteworthy performances at their home ground and have read the conditions really well, which will be an advantage as they eye the ultimate prize.

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#1 Meg Lanning’s experience

One can just not look over the fact that Meg Lanning has been one of the most successful captains in world cricket.

The former Australian skipper ended her international career on a high note. She led her national side to victories in four T20 World Cups and an ODI World Cup alongside a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games 2022.

As a player, she has won seven World Cup titles with Australia, and also led Delhi Capitals to the final in the inaugural edition last year. Lanning’s achievements as a player and as a captain have been remarkable and her experience is DC’s most prized possession.

She has one of the finest cricketing brains and her tactics will be something to look forward to when DC take on RCB. Given Lanning’s success as a captain, Delhi Capitals will be heavy favorites to lift the title.

Beating a Meg Lanning-led side in a final of any tournament is a daunting task and it is going to be a challenge for Smriti Mandhana to achieve something that the RCB franchise has never managed to do over the years.