WPL 2024: Mumbai’s teamwork and Delhi’s top show in both batting & bowling sets them apart

WPL 2024: Mumbai’s teamwork and Delhi’s top show in both batting & bowling sets them apart. Reason fro Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals' success in WPL 2024.

WPL 2024: Mumbai and Delhi advance to the qualifiers (Photo: ©X/Twitter)

The second edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2024 has been much more exciting and thrilling. All five teams are giving close fights to each one. Both the finalists of the last season, Mumbai Indians Women (MIW) and Delhi Capitals Women (DCW) have played quality cricket in all the departments.

After 19 games in the tournament, the runners-up of the last season, Delhi Capitals Women (DCW) are at the top of the points table with five victories in seven games at a net run rate of +0.918. Mumbai Indians are in the second position with five wins and three defeats at an NRR of +0.024. Both of them have lost to UP Warriorz and one game to each other. In addition, Mumbai lost to Royal Challengers Bangalore Women (RCBW) in their last league fixture.

Let’s take a look at what both Mumbai and Delhi are doing right in this new season

Top-class batting and bowling keep Delhi on top of the ladder

One of the biggest issues for Delhi in the last season of the WPL was inconsistency in their batting line-up. During the WPL 2023, only two of their batters were in the top ten of those scoring the most runs in the league. But it has changed this year.

Captain Meg Lanning is the second-highest run-getter of this edition with 290 runs in seven innings at an average of 41.42 with a strike rate of 122.88 thanks to her four fifties. Alice Capsey is at number seven with 230 runs in six innings at an average of 38.33 and a strike rate of 129.2. Jemimah Rodrigues has notched up 197 runs at a mind-blowing strike rate of 160.16. Shafali Verma has cracked 194 runs at a strike rate of 145.86 as Delhi have four of their players in the top ten. 

The same trend has continued in the bowling department too. Left-arm spinner Jess Jonassen is the second-highest wicket-taker of the tournament with 10 scalps in five games at an average of 13.4 and an economy of 7.05. Radha Yadav is also at number two with 10 wickets at an economy of 6.90. Their South Africa pacer Marizanne Kapp has been brilliant with the new ball, picking up nine wickets in five games at an average of 15.44.

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Pure teamwork holds shape for the Mumbai Indians

For the Mumbai Indians, the story is different. No individual brilliance, but pure teamwork has helped them to stay in the second position. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur is the sixth-highest run-getter of the tournament so far with 235 runs in six games at an average of 58.75 and a strike rate of 146.87. 

Amelia Kerr has managed to collect 188 runs in seven innings at a strike rate of 133.33. Yastika Bhatia has also notched up 185 runs at a strike rate of 131.20.

Even in the bowling department, they have worked as a team. Shabnim Ismail is the seventh-highest wicket-taker of the edition so far with eight wickets in six games at an excellent economy of 5.95. Nat Sciver Brunt has also grabbed eight wickets at an economy of 8.56. Both A Kerr and Saika Ishaque have picked up seven wickets each in the competition so far. 

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Meg Lanning is the highest run scorer in WPL 2024 (Photo: ©X/Twitter)

Both Mumbai and Delhi plan well for various conditions

The first leg of the tournament was at the M. Chinnaswamy in Bengaluru. The ground is known for high scores with short boundaries, but the pitch was a little slow and helped the spinners.

Mumbai made a fantastic start with two consecutive wins over Gujarat Giants and Delhi. They slipped against the Warriorz, where even 162 wasn’t enough as the opponents chased the target with seven wickets in hand and 21 balls to spare. They came back strongly with a thumping seven-wicket victory over Royal Challengers Bangalore Women. They didn’t start the second leg well at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, losing to the home side by 29 runs. But their back-to-back wins over Warriors and Gujarat ensured their qualification in the playoffs. They end the league phase with a heavy seven-wicket defeat against the RCBW. 

Delhi didn’t begin the tournament positively, losing their opener against Mumbai by 4 wickets. They made a strong comeback with four consecutive victories over each of the four other sides. Delhi faced a heart-breaking narrow 1-run defeat against UP Warriorz but soon turned the table two days later with a 1-run victory over RCBW to qualify for the playoffs. A win or a narrow-margined defeat in their last game would give them a direct ticket to the WPL 2024 final.

The only issue for both sides has been their poor fielding. They have dropped a few crucial catches and missed a few chances to put consistent pressure on the opponents for a long time. If both Mumbai and Delhi look after their fielding, and keep on playing the same brand of cricket, both could then again meet in the final of the tournament. 

The final of the WPL 2024 will be played on March 17 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. 

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