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It's been exactly a month since the third edition of the WPL got underway in Vadodara. And now, we have just two teams standing within touching distance of the ultimate prize.
It feels as though the tournament has gone back in time by a couple of years for we are back to how it all started. The Delhi Capitals and the Mumbai Indians, 1 and 2 on the table in 2023, contested the final at the Brabourne Stadium. That is precisely what has repeated again with the Capitals securing a direct entry into the summit clash at this very venue and with MI joining them on the back of a win in the Eliminator.
MI will be hopeful that history repeats itself of course as they look to reclaim the trophy they lost last season. This is no unfamiliar territory by any means though for DC and having come short in two finals, the last thing this bunch of players would want is to see that trophy slip away yet again.
So will it be a case of third time lucky then? Or will MI break their hearts again and ride on their momentum? This is a factor that the Capitals can't necessarily boast of for it will be eight days since they last took the field when they step out for the big one on Saturday. That they haven't had a taste of conditions yet at the Brabourne Stadium only compounds their challenges.
But a look at that squad and it's no surprise as to why they've made it as far as the last game of the tournament yet again. Their pace attack is an enviable one, their spinners are reliable and consistent while their batting is as well-rounded as it can be. They did suffer defeat in their most recent outing against the Gujarat Giants but by no means was it a contest where they were brushed aside without a fuss.
Skipper Meg Lanning has hit form at the right juncture as she enters this match on the back of a sublime 92 against the Giants. Her partnership with Shafali Verma at the top of the order has been instrumental towards the Capitals putting the opposition under the pump and with Jess Jonassen looking the part at number 3, it's a top-order that looks in good health. Considering that there's a certain Shabnim Ismail to contend with in the summit clash, the Capitals sure need this top three to click.
The big challenge, however, will be to exorcise the demons of the previous two finals where DC's batting lineup came apart rather alarmingly, eventually posting way under-par scores of 131 and 113 in those two games.. Not carrying any baggage from those finals will be critical towards upstaging a team as strong as MI, while the middle-order comprising Jemimah Rodrigues, Annabel Sutherland and Marizanne Kapp will have to duly bring their best out with the bat having blown hot and cold all season.
Kapp hasn't picked up a host of wickets with the new ball either - something rarely associated with a player of her caliber. Considering her prowess and wealth of experience though, it shouldn't come to anyone's surprise should she produce her best performance on the biggest day of them all. Shikha Pandey has been excellent with the new ball while the spin duo of Jonassen and Minnu Mani have been superb themselves. Titas Sadhu will view this final as an opportunity to lay down a serious marker - something that also holds good for batter Niki Prasad.
Any team comprising the all-round troika of Hayley Matthews, Natalie Sciver-Brunt and Amelia Kerr is bound to go deep into the tournament. And once again, MI have rallied on this consortium of all-rounders as well as skipper Harmanpreet Kaur in what has been another fine campaign. They've played just one match where they have been comprehensively beaten so far although it did come at the hands of the Capitals in Bengaluru.
MI have every reason to believe that they can register their first win of the season against DC though come Saturday. Notwithstanding the factor of home support and having played three matches here, the aforementioned triumvirate has been instrumental in winning the team a host of matches this season. Matthews has been in regal touch with the bat in the last few games while Sciver-Brunt has been simply unstoppable all season. Kerr is yet to click with the bat even as she has been a regular wicket-taker but Harmanpreet's blistering form augurs well for the side.
The breakout star though has been Amanjot Kaur, with the all-rounder making pivotal contributions across departments on a consistent basis. Yastika Bhatia returned to open the innings in the Eliminator and began well although she failed to score a big one again. With Sajeevan Sajana and Sanskriti Gupta also impressing in flashes with bat and ball respectively, MI will hope that these components also come together to keep the Capitals at bay.
Matthews and Kerr headline a strong spin attack that includes Sanskriti and Saika Ishaque, the latter of whom played just her second game of the tournament on Thursday although she sent down a lone over. Having played the 2023 final though, that experience should hold the left-arm spinner in good stead although the early passage of play between the MI seamers and the Capitals openers could well dictate the fate of this contest to a large extent.
And so, here we are then! After 21 matches and a month of intense action, the WPL will have its third winner crowned on Saturday. History beckons for both sides - MI are aiming to become the first side to win the coveted prize twice while DC are aiming to etch their name on that trophy at long last.
In contests like these, pressure often dictates the course of play. Whoever manages to get the better of their opposition on this front could well be beaming and holding the trophy aloft even as the other could be left crestfallen. Such is sport after all and cricket and its glorious uncertainties are set to witness another interesting chapter written on Saturday. This is a finale after all, and with a winner so hard to predict, we wouldn't have it any other way!
Delhi Capitals Probable XI: Meg Lanning (c), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Annabel Sutherland, Marizanne Kapp, Jess Jonassen, Sarah Bryce (wk), Niki Prasad, Shikha Pandey, Minnu Mani, Titas Sadhu
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Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai
