Delhi Capitals continued their form to seal their fourth TATA WPL final spot and set up a date with the 2024 champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the summit clash. Mithali Raj and Katey Martin discussed
Delhi Capitals' performance in the Eliminator, Gujarat Giants' season and their expectations from the final. Mithali Raj hailed the duo of Jemimah Rodrigues and Laura Wolvaardt for their calmness during the run-chase:
“I think both Jemimah and Laura Wolvaardt understood what they needed to do when they walked in. They were pretty new batters at the crease, but the openers had already made half the job easy by scoring at a run- rate way above the required rate. All they had to do was play run-a-ball. Even then, there is always the pressure of an Eliminator. It’s a knockout. You want to have the mindset of taking your team across, which Jemimah did. She also stuck with Laura Wolvaardt. Both of them made sure the equation got closer and closer, and Gujarat Giants just couldn’t come back.” On the Gujarat Giants' season as a whole and the improvements they need to make in the future:
“I think, as a team, they’ve done well. Ashleigh Gardner has really improved her leadership skills from last season to now. She’s a much-improved captain for Gujarat Giants, and twice in a row she’s taken them to the Playoffs. Her individual performance has been great as well. You’ve got Sophie Devine performing with both bat and ball. We’ve seen Beth Mooney, in crunch situations, grind it out and score a fifty. I would have loved to see a little more contribution from the Indian uncapped players for the Giants. Yes, young Anushka Sharma has been very impressive. Coming in at number three, she’s been able to score those 30s and 40s. From the lower order, Tanuja Kanwar perhaps needed to take more wickets. Kashvee and Renuka were good in Navi Mumbai, but when conditions are not suitable, that’s when you have to take up the challenge and either get wickets or be economical, which we haven’t really seen in Vadodara. Kanika Ahuja, when playing as a pure batter, needs to step up and score runs when the team requires. That’s something the Giants will perhaps look into. Overall, the reliance on overseas players has been a lot more.” Katey Martin praised the Delhi Capitals for their focus and energy:
“I thought their intensity from ball one throughout the game was outstanding. We saw the energy and intent in the field, and that crossed over into the batting. We said that if they could get off to a flying start and give the middle order an opportunity to ice the game, it would help, but they didn’t ease off. They were like, ‘We’re going to continue and never let this game settle.’ I loved the intent Shafali showed in the chase, and the intensity of running between the wickets. They were converting ones into twos and putting pressure on. Gujarat just didn’t have an answer. For me, this is their best win of the season because, let’s not forget, they were one win off the first four games.” On her expectations from the final with two best friends, Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues, at loggerheads:
“I wonder if RCB can do the double of the IPL and WPL, and how special that would be. The Bengaluru crowd turns up at Chinnaswamy and also follows RCB around. There were a few RCB tops in this game as well. They are such a well-supported side, and I love the fact that the whole city gets behind them, whether it’s the men’s or women’s team. It would be a special moment for RCB to do the double, but Delhi are also a team with a lot of momentum. They’re incredibly well supported, too, so it feels like an evenly matched final. It’s going to depend on who has the momentum. Is it Delhi, having won the Eliminator with momentum, or is it RCB? And the incredible narrative, you think of Smriti and Jemimah as the best mates. We called them frenemies throughout this TATA WPL. Who will get one over the other? It’s going to be an intriguing game. Domestic players are the ones who win tournaments for teams. Overseas players might win matches in big moments, but domestic players are the core of a team, and they’re the ones who win tournaments.”
