The second iteration of the Women’s Premier League is set for an electric opening here on Friday with defending champion Mumbai Indians going up against last year’s runner-up Delhi Capitals.
The Meg Lanning-led Capitals lost only three games last season, two of which were against the Harmanpreet Kaur’s MI including the final.
Lanning and Shafali Verma were an endearing pair for the franchise last season with a haul of 479 runs together for the first wicket, including five fifty-plus partnerships.
Their best showing was a mammoth 162-run stand in just 14.3 overs against Royal Challengers Bangalore enroute a 60-run drubbing of the latter.
South African quick Marizanne Kapp, who missed the recent Test against Australia due to illness, will be fresh to take charge as the side’s strike bowler. Shikha Pandey and in-form Poonam Yadav will hope to support her ably, while Titas Sadhu — after her international promise — will finally hope to earn her maiden cap.
In the Mumbai fold, West Indian allrounder Hayley Matthews and England’s Nat Sciver-Brunt hold the key to the side’s success.
The team will closely watch Harmanpreet’s run with the bat. The Indian skipper has hit a rough patch and did not reach a double-digit score in her last seven international appearances.
