Harmanpreet Kaur leads Mumbai Indians to second title as Delhi Capitals suffer third consecutive heartbreak – Firstpost

Harmanpreet Kaur produced a captain’s knock while Nat Sciver-Brunt dished out a splendid all-round performance as Mumbai Indians won their second Women’s Premier League (WPL) title in three seasons with a thrilling eight-run victory in the final in Mumbai. For Delhi Capitals skipper Meg Lanning, it was a third consecutive heartbreak in a WPL final in as many seasons as her franchise once again fell short in the final hurdle after a standout season.

Harmanpreet top-scored for MI at Mumbai’s Brabourne Stadium with a knock of 66 off 44 balls, during which she struck nine fours and two sixes and even braved physical discomfort to ensure her team set a competitive 150-run target after getting reduced to 20/2 inside the powerplay.

The skipper shared a crucial 89-run third-wicket stand with Sciver-Brunt (30 off 28 balls) that allowed MI to recover from the poor start, while Amanjot Kaur later chipped in with a handy 14 not out off seven balls that helped the team finish within touching distance of the 150-mark.

That Trophy Lifting Moment! 🏆 🙌
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Mumbai Indians captain Harmanpreet Kaur receives the #TATAWPL Trophy 🏆 from the hands of Mr Roger Binny, President, BCCI and Mr Devajit Saikia, Honorary Secretary, BCCI 👏 👏#Final | #DCvMI | @lonsaikia | @mipaltan | @ImHarmanpreet pic.twitter.com/amwiH8R3ED

— Women’s Premier League (WPL) (@wplt20) March 15, 2025

DC, however, were firmly on top after South African all-rounder Marizanne Kapp dismissed openers Hayley Matthews and Yastika Bhatia in a space of four deliveries in separate overs.

Such was the impact of Lanning’s decision to bowl out Kapp’s entire bowling quota after opting to field that MI had managed to score just 28 runs for the loss of two wickets in eight overs, going at a little over three-an-over.

Had Lanning been successful in getting either Kaur or Sciver-Brunt out at that stage, Mumbai Indians might have struggled to even get to 100 and the evening might have turned out very differently for the Delhi Capitals.

Sciver-Brunt, however, released some of the pressure by smashing left-arm spinner Nallapureddy Charani, who replaced Titas Sadhu in the only change of the final, for a couple of boundaries in the ninth over.

Kaur would then smash Annabel Sutherland for a maximum at the start of the following over before collecting a four with a lovely drive through extra cover. MI had collected 25 runs in a space of two overs, and suddenly were back on their feet at the halfway stage of their innings.

Kapp’s all-round brilliance in vain as Capitals suffer hat-trick of final losses

For DC, Kapp was the standout player of the day; not only did the South African seamer bowl four overs on the trot upfront and sign off with outstanding figures of 2/11, she later smashed a 26-ball 40 that kept the Capitals alive till the 18th over of the chase.

Delhi’s start mirrored that of Mumbai, with both teams losing their openers inside the powerplay. Sciver-Brunt castled Lanning just when the DC skipper was starting to look dangerous, having collected 13 off 8 with the help of two fours. Shafali Verma, who finished as her team’s leading run-scorer and the fourth-highest overall, departed for 4 the very next over, trapped LBW by Shabnim Ismail.

Unlike MI, who had Kaur and Sciver-Brunt steering the team to safety before launching an assault in the middle overs, DC kept losing wickets at regular intervals and were already staring at a defeat after getting reduced to 66/5 around the halfway stage, losing the wickets of Jess Jonassen (13), Annabel Sutherland (2) and Jemimah Rodrigues (30) along the way.

Kapp briefly revived DC’s hopes by smashing left-arm spinner Saika Ishaque for two fours and a six in her final over of the evening that cost MI 17 runs, bringing the equation down to 35 off 24 balls.

However, she failed to clear the distance while looking to smash Sciver-Brunt for a maximum in the 18th over, getting caught by Matthews at the edge of the long off boundary.

Kapp’s presence at that stage was crucial Delhi to win their maiden title, and her dismissal served as the final nail in the coffin. Niki Prasad (25 not out) later collected a six in the penultimate delivery of the penultimate over to leave DC needing 14 from six, but ultimately couldn’t get her team over the line as Sciver-Brunt bowled out a tidy final over to seal her team’s second triumph.

Brief scores:

Mumbai Indians 149/7 after 20 overs (Harmanpreet Kaur 66, Nat Sciver-Brunt 30; Marizanne Kapp 2/11, Jess Jonassen 2/26) defeat Delhi Capitals 141/9 in 20 overs (Marizanne Kapp 40, Jemimah Rodrigues 30; Nat Sciver-Brunt 3/30, Amelia Kerr 2/25) by 8 runs.

Player of the Final: Harmanpreet Kaur (66 off 44)

Most Valuable Player Award: Nat Sciver-Brunt (523 runs and 12 wickets)

Orange Cap: Nat Sciver-Brunt (523 runs)

Purple Cap: Amelia Kerr (18 wickets)