For the third year in a row, Delhi Capitals topped the table, reached the final, and fell short of lifting the trophy. Two out of those three defeats came at the hands of a Harmanpreet Kaur-led Mumbai Indians, both times at the Brabourne Stadium.
“When she’s at her best, she’s the best in the world,” said a jubilant MI coach Charlotte Edwards in the post-match press conference.
On a Saturday evening, Harmanpreet delivered in a crunch situation for her team after Mumbai were reduced to 14/2 within the powerplay. From there on, the Indian captain stitched a crucial 89-run partnership with Orange Cap holder Nat Sciver-Brunt for the third wicket, as the crowd roared in anticipation of her sixes.
“She’s been really calm, and she’s deeply competitive. Clearly, she wanted to win another title tonight. And she did everything in her power to do that with the innings she played,” Edwards added.
Harmanpreet scored 66 off 44 balls on a well-rolled surface before holing out to deep extra-cover.
“I think she just read the conditions brilliantly. She knew which bowlers to attack. It was such a great innings and really set us up,” Edwards continued, explaining how playing three matches at the venue had helped both the team and their captain.
“I thought she was going to have a really big last five overs. It was an outstanding shot she played, but 149 was enough in the end.”
Delhi Capitals’ coach Jonathan Batty also acknowledged the impact of Harmanpreet’s innings, admitting that her aggressive approach put his team on the back foot. “I thought Harman took the attack to us. We bowled well, but she took a few risks and got away with them because she backed herself,” he said.
DC, having reduced MI to 14/2 in the powerplay and later to 149/7, believed they had done enough to win.
“At halfway, we probably should have been winning that game with the bat,” added Batty.
But chasing in a tournament final comes with its own pressure. DC’s batting collapsed under the weight of expectations, stumbling to 84/6 by the 13th over. Marizanne Kapp, their sole fighter with the bat—who had earlier worked wonders with the ball in the powerplay—broke down in tears after the match.
“Going into that chase of 150, you expect the way we play as a batting unit—really positive, aggressive cricket—that we should win that game nine times out of ten,” Batty added.
“Full credit to Mumbai. The way they bowled never let us get away or get ahead of the run rate. We had a reasonably quiet powerplay as well, and then we just lost a few too many wickets. They kept us under pressure,” he continued.
Regardless of the final result and rivalry, as fans gathered for the trophy presentation to celebrate Mumbai Indians’ second WPL title, they also cheered for Delhi Capitals. They called out players’ names like Kapp, who was visibly distraught, and applauded their performances, showing appreciation for the opposition’s efforts.
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