It could’ve been a repeat of last year’s final with Delhi Capitals once again taking on Mumbai Indians. But, Smriti Mandhana-led Royal Challengers Bangalore pulled off a heist and snatched victory from the jaws of defeat in the Eliminator against MI on Friday.
It means Mandhana’s RCB will face Meg Lanning’s DC at a jam-packed Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday. Interestingly, the male counterparts of both teams have not won the IPL since its inception. Therefore, whoever lifts the 2024 WPL trophy – Mandhana or Lanning – it will end the long-awaited title drought for both franchises.
DC, who were runners-up in 2023, finished on top after the league phase with some dominating performances this season. Besides form, the head-to-head between the two teams also favours the Capitals. They have come out on top in all four meetings against RCB over the two editions of WPL. DC’s strength lies in their batting, with the explosive opening pair of skipper Lanning and Shafali Verma leading the way.
Lanning has amassed 308 runs this year and is second in the list of leading run-scorers. Shafali is also in blistering form. She started the tournament with two half-centuries on the trot, and in her last game against Gujarat Giants smashed a 37-ball 71. Alice Capsey and Jemimah Rodrigues make sure the momentum provided by the openers is not lost.
Jemimah, on her part, has played some pivotal knocks in the tournament and has surprised many with the power she has generated while going for big shots. In the bowling department, pace bowling allrounder Marizanne Kapp and left-arm spinner Jess Jonassen are on top of the list of highest wicket-takers of the tournament with 11 scalps each.
Others like Radha Yadav, Arundhati Reddy, Shikha Pandey and Titas Sadhu have also been dependable with the ball for DC. RCB, nonetheless, have the momentum after defeating defending champions MI in the Eliminator. They depend highly on the trio of Mandhana, Ellyse Perry and Richa Ghosh to prop up their batting.
Perry is the highest run-scorer in the tournament with 312 runs and has played some memorable knocks including a match-winning 66 in the Eliminator.
