“It’s just some small things here and there to take us to the next step,” feels skipper Meg Lanning about starting fresh and sticking to the process a key aspect of her success mantra for the upcoming WPL season.
As the Women’s Premier League (WPL) gears up for its highly anticipated third edition starting February 14th, all eyes are on the Delhi Capitals, led by the formidable Meg Lanning. Having finished as runners-up in the first two seasons, the Capitals are determined to finally clinch the coveted title. In a recent pre-season press conference, Lanning shared her thoughts on the team’s strategy and mindset heading into the new season.
“Yeah, obviously we’ve had two good seasons without obviously being able to finish it off the way we would have liked in winning the title,” Lanning acknowledged in the pre-season press conference. The Capitals have been a consistent force in the WPL, showcasing impressive performances throughout the previous couple of seasons. However, they have faltered at the final hurdle, leaving them hungry for that elusive championship.
Lanning emphasized the importance of building on their existing strengths. The team’s approach is not about making drastic changes but rather fine-tuning their strategies and tactics to gain a competitive edge. Lanning said, “So I guess the key for us is maintaining what we’ve been doing well, and we think we have been playing some really good cricket and doing a lot of things right and then just evolving and making a few little changes here and there that we think will make a big difference and hopefully allow us to take that next step.”
The Delhi Capitals have focused on squad development, bringing in fresh talent while nurturing existing players. “We feel like we have improved as a squad. We’ve added some new players, and the players who have been here previously have also improved and gotten better as well. So, we feel like we’re in a really good spot.” This blend of new energy and experienced players creates a balanced and dynamic team.
Lanning remains grounded and focused on the process. “We need to obviously start again this year and give ourselves the opportunity to get through to those finals and then see what happens. But for us, it’s not changing too much. We feel like we’re doing, we’ve been doing a lot, right? It’s just some small things here and there to take us to the next step.” The team is committed to taking it one step at a time, concentrating on each game and ensuring they peak at the right moment.
Additionally, the upcoming 3rd edition of the tournament will also add a bit more spice and infuse excitement among the fans and the players as the WPL has been expanded to four cities Vadodara, Bengaluru, Lucknow and Mumbai, as compared to just a couple of venues in Bengaluru and Delhi in the previous edition.
A happy and optimistic Capitals head coach Jonathan Betty responded to the expansion in the number of venues, saying, “We’ve been really lucky the last few years, the wickets we played on have been absolutely fantastic, so we see some really competitive, high scoring games. We’re just taking game by game, assessing the conditions as we go, we’re really lucky, the practice sessions that we’ve had in Pune, all of them had lateral wickets, red soil wickets and trying to kind of cover all those bases without really knowing necessarily what we’re going to find out there in the stadium in Kotambi.
“In cricket, you have to assess those conditions when you get on the field, trying to assess beforehand, it is only when the players step out into the field know what they’re going to do. Stay flexible, stay fluid with your thinking and react to what’s in front of you, but it’s really exciting to have those new venues in the calendar.”
With a clear vision, a talented squad, and a determined leader in Meg Lanning, the Delhi Capitals are poised to make a strong statement in WPL Season 3. Their fans will be hoping that this is the year they finally lift the trophy.
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