Sometimes, you become so obsessed with breaking a pattern that it consumes you.
Ask the Delhi Capitals.
The overarching theme of the buildup for its Women’s Premier League final clash against Mumbai Indians was to avoid mistakes of the past. Maybe don’t bat first. Maybe don’t crumble with the bat. Do we dare use the C-word?
Final pressure, especially for a team in its third consecutive summit clash after losing two, can turn out to be self-fulfilling. A 14,700-strong crowd at the Brabourne Stadium here witnessed just that as Mumbai Indians beat the Capitals by eight runs to clinch its second WPL crown in three seasons.
Chasing 150 to win, DC faithfuls in the stands – fresh from the high of a commendable fielding performance to keep the MI batting juggernaut quiet – took great solace in skipper Meg Lanning cutting Shabnim Ismail for four in the first over.
AS IT HAPPENED | DC vs MI HIGHLIGHTS
At that stage, if you have stepped out for a break and returned, you might have felt you’ve come back to the wrong match. Ismail and Nat Sciver-Brunt dismissed the openers Lanning and Shafali Verma between two overs for just two runs.
Jess Jonassen tried to dig in but fell to Amelia Kerr who took a catch off her own bowling right after the PowerPlay. A desperate 21-ball 30 from Jemimah Rodrigues helped steady ship as Delhi’s middle order crumbled yet again.
Speakers went silent at the Brabourne Stadium at the 10pm mark but which cop could dare stop the “Mumbai jeetega” chants?
Niki Prasad in action during the WPL Final Match between Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Capitals held at CCI Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday.
| Photo Credit:
EMMANUAL YOGINI
Niki Prasad in action during the WPL Final Match between Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Capitals held at CCI Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday.
| Photo Credit:
EMMANUAL YOGINI
Kapp fought the hard fight, her partnership with Niki Prasad giving Delhi hope against all odds. It all came down to the final over with 14 needed and Delhi having just a solitary wicket in hand. But it was all too much for Shree Charani and Niki to pull off.
DC fought till the end, but this game was put to bed when Lanning relegated herself to the inner tier of the dugout, glassy eyed after getting so near, but ending up so far.
A game of two halves
Despite the eight-day break between games, the Capitals showed no break in momentum on the field with imperious control in the PowerPlay. Riding on the experience of pace duo Kapp and Shikha Pandey, the side doled out 23 dot balls in the first six overs, allowing Mumbai only 20 runs. The first boundary only came in the fifth over.
The South African pacer accounted for both the openers. Her setup for Hayley Matthews was particularly satisfying. She kept swinging the ball outside off and Matthews, expecting the same line, tried to go across the crease to negotiate the ball. But Kapp angled it in to clip her leg stump, leaving Matthews confused for a good few seconds before she realised what had happened.
The dot ball pressure got to Yastika Bhatia who tried to work the ball on the offside but ended up sending the ball straight into a diving Jemimah’s hands at short cover.
The Capitals put on a spirited showing on the field, not allowing the ball to get to the boundary. Sciver-Brunt may have broken the shackles with two boundaries off Shree Charani in the ninth over.
Harmanpreet Kaur of Mumbai Indians celebrates scoring a half-century during the WPL Final match between Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals at Brabourne Stadium on March 15, 2025 in Mumbai, India.
| Photo Credit:
Getty Images
Harmanpreet Kaur of Mumbai Indians celebrates scoring a half-century during the WPL Final match between Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals at Brabourne Stadium on March 15, 2025 in Mumbai, India.
| Photo Credit:
Getty Images
Harmanpreet then took over. While she began breaching the fence in an Annabel Sutherland over, it was Jonassen – featuring in a record 17th T20 final, the most by a woman – who endured the worst of it.
Sciver-Brunt and Harmanpreet’s 89-run stand for the third wicket made up for the early stutters and put Mumbai in a comfortable position in its bid for at least 150 on the board. While Charani removed Sciver-Brunt, Harmanpreet trotted on despite experiencing discomfort in her left knee.
Jonassen dismissed Kerr and Sajeevan Sajana in a single over, but the skipper was unfazed.
With four overs remaining, onus was on Harmanpreet to channel the monster in her, but Sutherland played ghostbuster as the former holed out straight to Kapp at sweeper cover.
Mumbai puzzlingly held back Amanjot, sending Kamalini ahead of her instead. While she struggled against an experienced bowling lineup, she did send the ball flying over the midwicket fence to give the crowd its voice back.
A 20th over worth 12 runs allowed MI to finish with 149/7 on the board. It was at least 20 more than a largely disciplined DC attack should have allowed and it paid the price in the harshest way possible.
