WPL 202425 Final Match Summary DC W vs MI W March 15

WPL 2024/25 Final Match Summary: DC-W vs MI-W, March 15, 2025

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Mumbai Indians (MI) clinched their second Women’s Premier League (WPL) title, defeating Delhi Capitals (DC) by eight runs after setting a target of 150. Harmanpreet Kaur contributed a crucial 66, with Nat Sciver-Brunt adding 30 and both players forming an important 89-run partnership after a shaky start. DC struggled initially but Marizanne Kapp’s late 40 brought them close. Despite their efforts, they fell short, ending their season as runners-up for the third consecutive time. MI’s victory marks the fourth instance in WPL history where a team successfully defended a target below 150, with DC experiencing another tough loss.

Mumbai Indians 149 for 7 (Harmanpreet 66, Sciver-Brunt 30, Kapp 2-11, Jonassen 2-26) defeated Delhi Capitals 141 for 9 (Kapp 40, Rodrigues 30, Sciver-Brunt 3-30) by eight runs


Mumbai Indians (MI) clinched the Women’s Premier League (WPL) title for the second time in three seasons, successfully defending a total of 149 for 7 and relegating Delhi Capitals (DC) to a runners-up position for the third consecutive season.


Nat Sciver-Brunt, the first player to reach 1000 runs in WPL history, and Harmanpreet Kaur, who secured 300 runs in a single season for the first time, were pivotal in MI’s innings on Saturday. Together, they added 89 runs for the third wicket, rescuing the team from a precarious 14 for 2. Harmanpreet’s impressive 36-ball fifty helped propel MI to a competitive total.


DC struggled early on in their chase for 150 runs but rallied thanks to Marizanne Kapp’s aggressive hitting late in the innings. She scored 40 off just 26 balls and formed a crucial partnership of 40 off 29 balls with Niki Prasad for the seventh wicket. This surge reduced the target to just 23 off 12 balls and then 14 off 6 balls when Prasad hit Hayley Matthews for a six. However, Sciver-Brunt was there at the end, just as she was at the beginning. Consequently, DC faced yet another defeat, with their eight-run loss likely to hurt the most.


This match marked the fifth consecutive game – and the fourth at the Brabourne Stadium this season – where a team batting first emerged victorious. It was only the fourth instance in WPL history that a target of 150 or less was successfully defended, with three of those instances resulting in DC’s defeat.


A Kapp-ital act, almost!


Sciver-Brunt celebrated enthusiastically after clean bowling DC captain Meg Lanning. Shabnim Ismail continued the pressure by trapping Shafali Verma, DC’s leading run-scorer this season. Amelia Kerr outsmarted Jess Jonassen while Saika Ishaque dismissed Annabel Sutherland, leaving DC in a dire situation at 4 for 44. Jemimah Rodrigues, after a spirited innings, fell soon after, leaving the score at 66 for 5. A run-out of Sarah Bryce left them at 83 for 6 inside 13 overs. Was that the end for DC?


Not while Kapp was at the crease. Determined not to let her economical spell of 2 for 11 off four overs go to waste, she aggressively launched a Sciver-Brunt delivery over deep midwicket for six, then used her wrists skillfully to bring one behind square on the leg side. Kapp hit successive fours off Hayley Matthews before smashing Ishaque for another score of 4, 6, 4, bringing the equation down to a manageable 35 off 24 balls. When Prasad, coming in at No. 8, pierced Ismail through backward point to conclude the 17th over, the target was reduced to 29 off 18 balls.

The enthusiastic crowd at the Brabourne Stadium suddenly erupted with cheers for every Kapp boundary. However, the loudest cheer came for Sciver-Brunt when she had Kapp flat-bat a catch straight to Matthews at long-off. Nothing stings quite like a lost hope; Lanning’s vacant expression said it all.


Kapp, Pandey and the new-ball spell


DC chose to bowl on a fresh pitch. On a warm evening in Mumbai, Kapp and Shikha Pandey utilized the new ball effectively, swinging it around. Matthews struggled to score off five of the seven balls she faced from Kapp. After a few deliveries moving away from the right-hander, Kapp bowled a straight one that shattered Matthews’ stumps. This was the 11th time Kapp dismissed Matthews in women’s T20 cricket.


From the other end, Pandey kept pressure on the out-of-form Yastika Bhatia and built a difficult situation. Attempting to break free, Bhatia drove a Kapp delivery towards cover, where Rodrigues took a low catch diving forward. This double blow left MI in a precarious position at 20 for 2 at the end of the powerplay, marking their second-lowest total in this phase in WPL history.


Harmanpreet rescues MI with sublime fifty


As in the previous two WPL finals, it seemed that the team batting first would finish with a subpar score. DC had the upper hand with the ball; Kapp bowled her full quota in one go, establishing early control. However, Sciver-Brunt and Harmanpreet remained unflustered, targeting the bowlers and propelling MI’s run rate. MI managed only 28 runs in the initial 8 overs, but surged with 59 runs in the next five, averaging over ten in each of those overs.

It’s rare for Sciver-Brunt to play a support role, but Harmanpreet’s elegant stroke play was mesmerizing. A pull shot off Annabel Sutherland that sailed over deep backward square leg for six marked the beginning of a performance we’ve come to expect from Harmanpreet in WPL 2025. She then attacked Jess Jonassen, who has previously troubled her in T20Is, hitting three consecutive fours in the 11th over. She greeted Minnu Mani’s offspin with a stunning shot, whipping it through square leg off the back foot. Harmanpreet recorded her third fifty of the season, helping MI recover from a difficult position. MI racked up 70 runs in the seven overs between the first and second timeout.


Late strikes not good enough for DC


As dew was not anticipated in Mumbai, DC included N Shree Charani, an extra spin option, in place of Titas Sadhu. This decision highlighted the trust DC placed in her abilities. She seemed to deliver in her second over, ending the hazardous third-wicket partnership of 89 runs between Sciver-Brunt and Harmanpreet before conceding only six runs in her next over.


Sutherland then had Harmanpreet caught out at deep cover, as MI tumbled from 102 for 2 to 118 for 6. Nevertheless, MI managed to score 25 runs in the final two overs to finish close to 150. DC claimed 5 wickets for 45 runs in the last five overs; such a performance might not have been inadequate on another day.

S Sudarshanan is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo. @Sudarshanan7

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