The Delhi Capitals is a franchise with a long history. Up until 2019, the team that had been known as the Delhi Daredevils changed their name to the Delhi Capitals.
In 2020, the team faced the Mumbai Indians in its maiden Indian Premier League final. The Delhi Capitals have established themselves as a formidable force in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) reaching the championship game each of the league’s two seasons in contrast to their male counterparts.
In the Women’s Premier League Final at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Sunday, the Delhi Capitals battled valiantly but lost to Royal Challengers Bangalore by eight wickets. After bowling the Delhi Capitals out for 113, the Royal Challengers Bangalore took 19.3 overs to chase down their target.
The Delhi Capitals started strongly with a formidable 64-run partnership but suffered a drastic collapse, losing all 10 wickets for just 49 runs, resulting in a total score of 113 runs. However, they managed to restrict Bangalore from taking full control with their commendable fielding efforts.
Speaking about the team’s performance, Delhi Capitals head coach Jonathan Batty recently praised his team’s remarkable second-half performance, particularly in the bowling innings. He expressed immense pride in their strategic approach and exceptional bowling and fielding, crediting much of their success to Meg Lanning’s leadership. Batty highlighted their tenacity in taking the game down to the wire, emphasizing the team’s unity and determination.
He mentioned, “Our team fought magnificently in the second half of the game. I am so proud of the way the team went about its business during its bowling innings. We bowled and fielded magnificently and a lot of that was courtesy of Meg Lanning’s leadership. It was amazing to see our team take the game to the last over.”
Jonathan Batty, with an unwavering confidence in his team’s abilities, highlights an aggressive batting approach. In his view, the essence of their game lies in this boldness at the crease. He reflects on pivotal moments where a few well-connected shots could have turned the tide entirely. Notably, the team lost three wickets in the eighth over and struggled to get back into the game.
Regarding whether the hitters could have performed better, for him, these instances aren’t failures but rather missed opportunities that could have reshaped the outcome. Batty proudly praised his team as one of the standout performers in the tournament, attributing much of their success to the exceptional performance of their batters.
He stated, “We back our batters to play aggressively. If one of those batters, who got out in the middle phase, had connected a few shots it would’ve been a completely different game. We’ve been one of the standout teams in the tournament and our batters have been absolutely amazing.”
Speaking about the Indian players’ improvement throughout this year’s WPL season, Jonathan Batty reflects with pride on the progress of the Indian players under his guidance. He acknowledges their dedication and hard work over the past year, particularly during intensive training camps.
Batty highlights the emergence of Titas Sadhu, noting her exceptional performance in key matches and predicting a promising future for her. Moreover, he applauded the overall standard of cricket exhibited by the team throughout the season, emphasizing the fantastic quality of play displayed on the field.
He mentioned, “Our Indian players have all improved this season. They’ve worked very hard in the last 12 months through our various training camps. Titas Sadhu stepped up in a couple of games and she’s going to be a great prospect for the future. The quality of the cricket has been fantastic this season.”
(Quotes sourced for Delhi Capitals Media Release)
