Meg Lanning’s contribution to cricket is marked as one of the greatest in women’s cricket leadership. Meg Lanning, marking her as the captain with the most ICC trophies across both men and women securing the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in 2014, 2018, 2020, and 2023 and the ICC Women’s World Cup in 2023. Beyond her strategic expertise, Lanning’s batting prowess shone brightly, anchoring the team’s top order with finesse and resilience. Her unwavering dedication as a batter and her ability to guide her teammates solidified her status as an iconic figure in cricket.
In 2023, Lanning emerged as the leading run-scorer in the Women’s Premier League (WPL), securing the orange cap after scoring 345 runs in nine matches, including two half-centuries, at an impressive average of 49.28 and a strike rate of 139. Continuing her stellar form in 2024, she has already accumulated 261 runs in six matches, scoring four half-centuries, maintaining an average of 43.5 and a strike rate of 124.
Beyond her individual accomplishments, the five-time World Cup-winning captain Lanning has proven herself as a great leader in WPL as well, guiding the Delhi Capitals to the finals in the 2023 season with six wins and three losses, dominating the league stage. However, despite her captaincy skillfulness, the team fell short in the final, losing to Mumbai’s dominant gameplay by seven wickets.
In the ongoing 2024 season, Lanning has guided her team to secure four wins and two losses, showcasing her resilience and leadership on the field.
In pursuit of a challenging total of 139 in the match against UP Warriorz, despite losing the early wicket of Shafali Verma, the Delhi Capitals seemed promising initially, with skipper Meg Lanning showcasing her batting skill, building a crucial 47-run partnership with Alice Capsey, steadying the innings. However, the UP Warriorz managed to strike through with Sophie Ecclestone dismissing Capsey. Despite the setback, Meg Lanning resiliently teamed up with Jemimah Rodrigues, forming a 24-run partnership.
The turning point came when Deepti Sharma claimed the pivotal wicket of Meg Lanning, disrupting Delhi’s momentum. Despite Lanning’s valiant knock of 60 off 46 balls, the Capitals suffered a devastating collapse, losing their last 7 wickets for just 44 runs. This collapse proved to be their downfall as they were eventually bowled out for 137 with just one ball to spare in their chase.
Despite her individual brilliance, In the post-match presentation, Meg Lanning demonstrated exemplary leadership qualities by taking up the responsibility for the defeat. Despite her commendable innings, she acknowledged the team’s collective effort and took full accountability for the loss. She emphasized the importance of learning from the defeat, acknowledging areas for improvement, and recovering the team’s spirit for the upcoming matches.
Meg Lanning’s ability to lead by example in difficult situations and gracefully accept the outcome, win or lose, showcases her as more than just a stellar batter but more as a captain who prioritizes the team’s growth and solidarity.
Post-match, Meg Lanning expressed her regret at not securing the victory, acknowledging that her team had positioned themselves well during the game. She credited the UP Warriorz’s ability to secure the win, acknowledging their efforts in the match. Lanning also reflected on her performance recognizing that her wicket may have played a crucial role in the outcome.
She remarked, “Disappointed to not get the win. Felt we put ourselves in a pretty good position. Credit to the Warriorz for sneaking out that win. My wicket probably played a part. I feel like I was the set batter and needed to take it a bit deeper.”
Meg Lanning’s leadership shines brightly as she shoulders the responsibility of the loss, which led fans to hail her as the epitome of a great captain, reacting-
That's why we love u 😍 anyways see u sunday. Coming to kotla😇
— Dipankar Joshi (@DipankarJo3317) March 8, 2024
Watching Meg Lanning in action is just such a delightful sight in cricket. #WPL2024
— Niharika Raina (@ #WPL2024) (@niharika_raina) March 8, 2024
3 consecutive 50+ runs – art
MEG LANNING – artist #WPL— Soumya reddy (@soumyeaah) March 8, 2024
The greatness of Meg Lanning is she always try to rotate strike even bowlers bowls very good balls , that’s the most important quality to have . She is class above everyone. #WPL2024
— Suresh Bejawada (@SureshBejawada1) March 8, 2024
Meg Lanning how smoothly she play, find gaps.
Pure class#DCvUPW— Randhir kr (@kumar_sittu09) March 8, 2024
SHE IS LITERALLY FEMALE VERSION OF MSD
A PERFECT LEADER 🤝 NO.7
— SAGE🇮🇳 (@SAGE__RK) March 8, 2024
So humble and yet so inspiring. True leader, this is why so many many great women cricketers come from Aus.
— Karen Ludwick (@KarenLudwick6) March 8, 2024
There's no one like Meg Lanning in this world🤧🤧
— Aditya (@Aditya28941339) March 9, 2024
How good is it to watch Meg Lanning bat superbly and enjoy herself.
— Zjoue (@Zjoue2) March 9, 2024
Meg Lanning, the most dangerous captain in women's cricket…you should not make blunders when she is your opposition. 🔥
— Kartik Sehgal (@kartik_vlsi) February 29, 2024
Meg Lanning has clocked in back-to-back 50s in the WPL. One of the best in Women's Cricket.
— Rahul Deodhar (@rahuldeodhar) March 8, 2024
Peerless in class and consistency: Meg Lanning, the batting behemoth.
Was unrivalled in both facets in international cricket, and she's proven to be every bit that at the #WPL.
Receives a standing ovation from the Hill A crowd at the Arun Jaitley Stadium as she walks off.
— Annesha Ghosh (@ghosh_annesha) March 8, 2024
This MEG LANNING
Is
GODESS of CRICKET 🏏
Game
Attitude
Discipline
Calmness
Excellent master #WPL2024
— Naidu – Bhushan (@Bhushansz) March 8, 2024