Celebration time: Mumbai Indians gamers savour the second they entered the report books because the first-ever winner of the WPL.
| Photo Credit: EMMANUAL YOGINI
The Women’s Premier League promised a lot. It delivered extra!
The inaugural version of the WPL, which concluded on the Brabourne Stadium right here on Sunday, will eternally be remembered fondly. The event proved that ladies’s cricket has finally arrived in India in its full glory. Its ripples might be felt throughout the cricketing globe.
For a number of years, girls cricketers, not simply from India however nations reminiscent of Australia, England and New Zealand had been crying for an IPL-like league. These previous three weeks justified their demand.
High-quality cricket
The high quality of cricket on show was wonderful. As was the help from the followers of Mumbai: a full home witnessed the ultimate and there have been greater crowds for a number of the matches in Navi Mumbai, on the D.Y. Patil Stadium.
Incredible! RCB’s Sophie Devine performed probably the most spectacular knock of the league — 99 off 36 balls towards Gujarat Giants.
| Photo Credit:
EMMANUAL YOGINI
The WPL has created new followers. This correspondent met some girls who had by no means adopted girls’s cricket earlier than however now are followers of cricketers like Sophie Devine and Harleen Deol.
Devine performed probably the most spectacular knock of the league — 99 off 36 balls towards Gujarat Giants — however her workforce, Royal Challengers Bangalore, was the one which disenchanted probably the most (so what’s new, you could ask, given the lads’s workforce’s historical past in the IPL). Led by Smriti Mandhana, it was probably the most star-studded facet on the WPL, however its competitors was just about over after it misplaced all its first 5 video games.
Strongest facet
Mumbai Indians, however, gained all its first 5 video games. It was clear that it was the strongest facet in the competitors: it had depth and the workforce was replete with high quality all-rounders.
Queenbee: Mumbai Indians captain Harmanpreet Kaur is given a throne.
| Photo Credit:
AP
But, Delhi Capitals emerged as a significant menace, and it even completed forward of MI on higher internet run-rate, and earned a direct ticket to the ultimate. MI needed to come by means of the Eliminator, in which Nat Sciver-Brunt’s sensible innings proved the distinction towards UP Warriorz. The England all-rounder performed one other match-winning innings in the ultimate. That meant Meg Lanning, the serial-winning-captain of Australia, needed to accept the runner-up spot as Capitals skipper. The tables had turned: her reverse quantity Harmanpreet Kaur had been on the receiving finish as India captain on the T20 World Cup and, earlier than that, the Commonwealth Games.
New stars
The WPL threw up new stars for India, reminiscent of Saika Ishaque, Shreyanka Patil and Kanika Ahuja. Shining vibrant had been younger stars from abroad too, like Issy Wong, Alice Capsey and Tara Norris, the American who confirmed what the WPL might do for Associate nations.
