WPL 2024: Defending champion Mumbai Indians clashes in opposition to Delhi Capitals in opener

The second iteration of the Women’s Premier League is ready for an electrical opening right here on Friday, with defending champion Mumbai Indians going up in opposition to runner-up Delhi Capitals.

Expect nothing lower than a battle for Capitals, which might wish to verify its superiority in opposition to the one aspect that troubled it repeatedly. While for the defending champion, it is going to all be about persevering with what it left the final season. 

The Meg Lanning-led Capitals misplaced solely three video games final season, two of which have been in opposition to Harmanpreet Kaur’s MI, together with the ultimate.

The Capitals will hope to set the document straight in opposition to the one thorn in its aspect.

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Lanning and Shafali Verma have been an endearing pair for the franchise final season, with a haul of 479 runs collectively for the primary wicket, together with 5 fifty-plus partnerships. Their greatest displaying was a mammoth 162-run stand in simply 14.3 overs in opposition to Royal Challengers Bangalore, routing a 60-run drubbing of the latter.

South African fast Marizanne Kapp, who missed out on the current Test in opposition to Australia on account of sickness, will likely be contemporary to take cost because the aspect’s strike bowler.

Shikha Pandey and in-form Poonam Yadav will hope to help her ably, whereas Titas Sadhu — after her worldwide promise — will lastly hope to earn her maiden cap.

Capitals Marquee signing for INR 2 cr, Annabel Sutherland, would be the X-factor. Her presence within the center order will enable Kapp and Capsey to be fluid with their batting positions relying on the match state of affairs. 

In the Mumbai fold, West Indian all-rounder Hayley Matthews and England’s Nat Sciver-Brunt maintain the important thing to the aspect’s success. The crew will carefully watch Harmanpreet’s run with the bat. The Indian skipper has hit a tough patch and is but to achieve a double-digit rating in her final seven worldwide T20I appearances.

Mumbai is spoilt for alternative within the bowling division. Memories of Issy Wong wreaking havoc in opposition to the Capital, sending again Shafali, Alice Capsey, and Jemimah Rodrigues will likely be contemporary for the aspect. Saika Ishaque had an outing to overlook in opposition to Australia within the ODI leg of the multiformat sequence early this 12 months and can look to make amends, notably in opposition to the likes of Shafali whom she troubled final time.

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With choices like Chloe Tyron and Amelia Kerr, it is going to be a watch as to who would be the fourth decide since pacer Shabnim Ismail can also be obtainable for Mumbai.

The M Chinnaswamy Stadium loves chases. In 206 T20 video games (IPL and worldwide fixtures included), 110 have been gained by the crew batting second. Incidentally, within the three situations of those two groups clashing, the crew batting second has come out triumphant. While the quick boundaries right here will tempt batters to clear the stands, the bowling unit that may minimise harm may clinch the fixture for its aspect.

Match begins at 8 p.m.