Mumbai Indians win WPL 2023 after beating Delhi Capitals: Stats

Mumbai Indians have been crowned champions of the inaugural Women's Premier League (WPL) edition after beating Delhi Capitals in the final at the Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai. MIW successfully chased down 132, with Nat Sciver-Brunt (60*) getting them over the line. Hayley Matthews and Issy Wong took three-fers to fuel MIW's chances. DCW's Shikha Pandey and Radha Yadav added 52 runs for the final wicket.

DCW were off to a patchy start after Meg Lanning elected to bat first. They managed just 38/3 in the Powerplay. The Capitals lost six wickets for as many runs in 5.4 overs during the middle phase. However, Shikha Pandey and Radha Yadav propelled to 131/9 from 79/9. MIW too lost two quick wickets, but Nat Sciver-Brunt got them home in a final-over thriller.

Top-order batter Nat Sciver-Brunt played a title-winning knock for MIW. She came in the middle when MIW lost their first wicket at 13. Nat Sciver-Brunt then added 72 runs with skipper Harmanpreet for the third wicket. She reached her third half-century of the tournament in the penultimate over of the final. The 30-year-old scored the winning runs, managing 60* off 55 balls.

As stated, Mumbai Indians are the first-ever champions of the WPL. Their captain Harmanpreet has won a T20 league championship for the first time. Overall, MI have won their sixth title in Indian T20 tournaments (Indian Premier League or WPL). The Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai Indians have lifted the IPL trophy five times (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020).

Matthews delivered a devastating spell in the final. While Wong uprooted the top order, Matthews bossed in the middle order. She bowled four overs, including two maidens, and conceded just five runs. The Caribbean all-rounder dismissed Jess Jonassen, Minnu Mani, and Taniya Bhatia to complete her three-fer. Matthews finished her incredible spell with a double-wicket maiden.

Matthews has become the first player to bowl two maiden overs in a WPL innings. And, she has attained this feat in the big final. Notably, Matthews did not concede any boundaries in the match, having bowled 19 dot balls.

Matthews received the Purple Cap after racing to 16 wickets in 10 matches. Her best figures came in the final. UP Warriorz' Sophie Ecclestone also finished with as many wickets from nine matches.

DCW skipper Lanning turned out to be their lone warrior in the first half. She held one end as the Capitals suffered a batting collapse in the middle overs. Lanning, the Orange Cap holder (345 runs), was en route to her third half-century in the tournament. However, an untimely run-out resulted in her departure. Lanning scored 35 off 29 balls (5 fours).

Wong, who took a historic hat-trick in the Eliminator, dismissed Shafali Verma and Alice Capsey in a space of three deliveries. Although Nat Sciver-Brunt counter-attacked, Wong sent back Jemimah Rodrigues. Although Wong struck early, she was quite expensive in the second half of the match. She conceded as many as 20 runs in her final over. She finished with figures worth 3/42 (4).

Shikha and Radha inspired hope in the DCW camp after they were reduced to 79/9. The duo added a 52-run stand off just 24 balls. Shikha managed a 17-ball 27* (3 fours, 1 six), while Radha scored 27* off 12 balls (2 fours, 2 sixes). Shikha and Radha registered the first-ever 50+ partnership for the 10th wicket across women's T20Is or franchise leagues.