Mumbai Indians have booked their place in the final of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) after defeating UP Warriorz in the Eliminator. The stage is now set for an exciting clash against Delhi Capitals on March 26 at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai. Ahead of the final, Mumbai’s skipper Harmanpreet Kaur has lauded the opening combination of Delhi Capitals, Meg Lanning and Shafali Verma, acknowledging them as the best opening pair in the tournament.
The captain also highlighted the importance of having a well-planned strategy to counter the duo, who had earlier troubled Mumbai. Lanning is currently the leading run-scorer of the tournament with 310 runs, while Verma has scored 241 runs at an astonishing strike rate of 182.57.
“We know what they can do and how dangerous they can be. We have our plans and hopefully, we are able to execute them,” Harmanpreet told India Today.
Harmanpreet also spoke about the positive impact of the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) in Australia and the WPL in India, saying that these tournaments have played a significant role in developing women’s cricket. She expressed confidence that Indian domestic players would benefit from these opportunities, and the results would become evident in the next 2-3 years.
“The domestic players are going to get a lot of opportunities, many girls have done well as we have seen. We will start seeing the results in 2-3 years. I am confident that Indian talent is also going to do well like Australia is doing,” Harmanpreet added.
The Indian skipper also pointed out the importance of playing in front of large crowds and having fun while playing the game. She emphasized the need to encourage young girls to take up the sport and provide them with the necessary infrastructure to achieve their dreams.
“The WPL has been great for women’s cricket. It has provided a platform for young girls to dream of playing in front of crowds and enjoying themselves. This tournament has been incredible for women’s cricket in that regard,” Harmanpreet said.
With the final set to be a highly-anticipated clash between two talented teams, fans eagerly await the outcome of the match. The Indian cricketing community is also hopeful that the success of the WPL will translate into greater opportunities for domestic players and the further development of women’s cricket in the country.
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