The Delhi leg of the ongoing 02 edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) gets underway on the 5th of March, 2024, with Delhi Capitals taking on Mumbai Indians at the Shri Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi, at 7:30 PM Indian Standard Time (IST).
With 3 wins and a loss from their respective 4 games, Delhi, with a better net run rate, leads the table and Mumbai follows. While the ladder leader have remained unbeaten in their previous 3 games, Mumbai posts consecutive wins, lost a game to UP Warriorz, but returned to winning ways in their most recent game.
Squads:
Delhi Capitals – Meg Lanning* (C), Marizanne Kapp*, Aparna Mondal, Sneha Deepthi, Alice Capsey*, Titas Sadhu, Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Radha Yadav, Minnu Mani, Ashwani Kumari, Arundhati Reddy, Taniya Bhatia, Laura Harris*, Shikha Pandey, Jess Jonassen*, Poonam Yadav, Annabel Sutherland*
Mumbai Indians – Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Yastika Bhatia, Hayley Matthews*, Fatima Jaffer, Shabnim Ismail*, Issy Wong*, Amandeep Kaur, Saika Ishaque, Priyanka Bala, Humaira Kazi, Amelia Kerr*, Sathyamoorthy Balakrishnan Keerthana, Sajeevan Sajana, Pooja Vastrakar, Nat Sciver-Brunt*, Jintimani Kalita, Amanjot Kaur, Chloe Tryon*
Players to watch out:
Jemimah Rodrigues
The 23-year-old middle-order batter had a decent WPL campaign last summer, adding 126 runs to the tally, striking at 128.57, from 7 innings. Jemimah was in outstanding form in the lead-up to this WPL and continuing on her form, scored an unbeaten 42 in the opener, but since then, has departed on scores of 4*, 0, and 7. She’ll be backed to find her footing.
Minnu Mani
The 24-year-old all-rounder featured in only 3 WPL games last year but didn’t have a lot to contribute. However, she has been a standout in domestic cricket over the previous few seasons and debuted for the national side last year. This WPL, she was sidelined after a couple of wicketless games, but her spin could be rewarding in the forthcoming Delhi leg.
Yastika Bhatia
The 23-year-old keeper-batter amassed 214 runs, including the highest of 44, from 10 WPL appearances in the ’23 edition. Yastika was amongst the runs in the ’23/24 domestic season and translated the same form into this WPL season, registering successive scores of 57, 7, 26, and 31. She is in sublime touch and will be relied upon to lead the scoring.
S B Keerthana
The 23-year-old leg-spinner picked up 25 wickets from 13 domestic T20 outings ahead of the ongoing WPL edition. However, come the WPL, she has registered figures of 0/13 (1), 0/19 (3), and 0/11 (1). With the wickets in Delhi favorable for spinners, the team will count on her to capitalize on her form and bag that maiden WPL wicket.
Pitch:
The Delhi wicket is a fairly balanced one that offers runs for batters, evident from a modest average score in the 140s. There is also a good amount of assistance for bowlers, especially spinners who hold the upper hand on this track.
Weather:
The temperature is expected to hover around 18°C, with light winds and humidity at 41%. The forecasted conditions promise a complete game at Shri Arun Jaitley Stadium despite cloudy overhead.
Fantasy playing XI:
Yastika Bhatia, Shafali Verma, Hayley Matthews, Meg Lanning, Marizanne Kapp, Harmanpreet Kaur, Amelia Kerr, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Saika Ishaque, Radha Yadav, Jess Jonassen
Match details:
Date – March 5, 2024
Time – 7:30 PM IST
Venue – Shri Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
Broadcast – The game will be live-streamed on Jio Cinema and telecasted on Sports18.