As we move to the finals of the WPL, let’s look at the clinical Delhi Capitals who breezed into the final spot and why they 100 per cent deserve the pole position. The Mumbai Indians and the Royal Challengers Bangalore battled it out at the Feroz Shah Kotla where RCB managed to ensure a spot in the finals along with the DC.
The Campaign
What’s been impressive about Delhi is their consistency and more importantly, how they make every team that was pitted against them give their absolute best performance to stand a chance against them. Out of their 8 league games, they lost only the 2 games against Mumbai and UP, but what makes this even more special is that the games they lost could’ve easily gone either way, with Mumbai chasing the score on the final delivery and UP edging DC out by a solitary run. Their loss against MI was their opening match in the IPL, and it wouldn’t have been a great way to start the tournament off. But the comeback since then has been nothing short of inspiring and Delhi should take a lot of pride in how their team have gone about their business in the rest of the tournament.
Standout performers
The Delhi Capitals’ batting has been the major reason for their success, with players standing up to the task whenever necessary. Meg Lanning has been the best batswoman not just for Delhi, but for this year’s WPL, leading the charts with 308 runs. The heavy-hitting Shefali Verma follows closely behind with 265 runs, with an enviable strike rate of 155.88. The best opening pair in the tournament, they complement each other beautifully, with Shafali expressing herself freely while Lanning took on the responsibility of anchoring the innings. Rodrigues and Capsey played pivotal roles too, both striking at a fantastic pace and responsibly carrying the middle order.
Leading the bowling lineup of both DC and the WPL is the multi-faceted Marizanne Kapp, with 11 wickets at a measly 6.50 ER even after playing only 6 matches. To add cherry and frosting to her cake, she took the opportunity to get Delhi to a higher score whenever she could, striking at a terrific 165.12, the highest in DC. Jess Jonassen also had a great season with 11 wickets also having played 2 games less. Radha Yadav follows closely behind with 10 wickets at just over 7 RPO.
Getting over the line
Delhi has been the most spirited side in the league, never giving up without a fight. While they have won quite a few of their games in an outright fashion, perhaps getting so close to winning in 2 games makes Delhi look like they could potentially give their usually dominant position away when the pressure gets high. Having won a tense game by 1 run against RCB just after their UPW loss by the same margin, Delhi have shown that resilience and keeping the past in the past is something they do well. They are definitely the frontrunners to win the league and deservedly lift that trophy, but after all, T20 is all about who’s day it is on matchday. It is to be seen if they can be the cool and collected team that they have been throughout the series, for this final dance.
