Meg Lanning, captain of the Delhi Capitals, wished for a full performance from Shafali Verma on Sunday.
Although Meg Lanning’s Delhi Capitals were the first side to qualify for the WPL final, they face a “huge test” in the form of the Mumbai Indians, and Lanning wants speedy batter Shafali Verma to enter the game with a clear head. “During the competition, both Mumbai and Delhi have been reliable. We’ve had two exciting matches thus far. They played some excellent cricket last night, and I’m looking forward to facing a formidable opponent “Lanning said on Saturday afternoon during a press conference held before the game at Brabourne Stadium.
“We recognize the threat they pose; they have some very talented players. This is a huge obstacle for Delhi, but we believe in ourselves, too. We’ve been tested in recent games, which is vital, and we haven’t had much luck, which has served as excellent preparation.
We’ve got to play our best cricket tomorrow night under a lot of pressure,” she continued.
In his speech, Lanning urged his team to make the most of their time in the spotlight. “We have played with grins on our faces and that is what I will be urging our girls to do tomorrow night,” he added.
Lanning hoped that Shafali, who hit two fifties in the first round of the Women’s Premier League, will be at full strength on Sunday.
“It’s been a blast to play batting with her. She has her own style, and it suits her well. She changes the rules of the game to our advantage. She played well throughout the event and should be in fine shape for tomorrow’s championship match.
Lanning said, “Hopefully she comes in with a fresh mind and is ready to take the game on and I can watch from the other end.” The aggressive Indian batter has relieved pressure for Lanning at the top of the order.
Harmanpreet Kaur, captain of the Mumbai Indians, admitted that Delhi has a formidable opening combination in Lanning and Shafali, but reassured fans that her team had countermeasures ready.
Kaur acknowledged, “They have the finest combination in the entire competition and they also did well against us in the last game.”
Kaur continued, “We are aware of their capabilities and the dangers they pose. We’ve got a game plan, and here’s hoping it works!” The Mumbai Indians have started their WPL season with five straight wins, and the team captain for India has stated that morale is high because of the numerous strong leaders on the squad.
“There are a lot of strong leaders among us, including former team captains and vice captains. The Indian team had some success in South Africa, particularly Amanjot (Kaur). This creates an ideal setting for teamwork, “Kaur declared.
As Lanning pointed out, the teams that have been consistently successful in the WPL have fielded well, thus this will be an important factor in the final.
“Both the bowling and batting lineups for both teams are strong. To win, you’ll need to perform very well; we haven’t considered it that way “Asked if the WPL final may be a shootout between Delhi’s batting and Mumbai’s bowling, Lanning speculated that it could go either way.
“We plan to come in and give it our all with the bat, the ball, and in the pitch, all of which have been crucial in this tournament. Successful teams, in my opinion, have performed that well “As Lanning put it.
