WPL 2025: Harmanpreet top-scores with 66 as MI reach 149/7 against DC in title clash

Mumbai, March 15 (IANS) Captain Harmanpreet Kaur timed her shots exquisitely to top-score with 66 as Mumbai Indians posted 149/7 in their 20 overs in the 2025 Women’s Premier League (WPL) final against Delhi Capitals at the Brabourne Stadium here on Saturday. 

On a fresh pitch, Marizanne Kapp was at her magnificent best to apply the squeeze with the new ball as DC called the shots initially. But Harmanpreet stepped up to hit nine fours and two sixes in a knock of 66 off 44 balls, where she mixed timing with muscling the balls to go through gaps after taking time to assess the conditions.

She also shared a counter-attacking 89-run stand for the third wicket with Nat Sciver-Brunt, who made 30 off 28 balls. But the rest of the MI batters didn’t step up, as the 2023 champions posted the highest total in a WPL final. DC, though, will be disappointed that they conceded 45 runs in the last five overs.

Electing to bowl first, DC consistently kept pressure from both ends, thanks to some masterly bowling from Marizanne and Shikha Pandey. DC were rewarded for their persistence when Marizanne got a wobble-seam ball to nip back in and castle Hayley Matthews through the gate for three.

Yastika Bhatia got MI’s first boundary with a drive off Marizanne, but on the very next ball, she couldn’t keep the slice down and Jemimah Rodrigues dived forward to complete a superb catch just inches above the field, dismissing the batter for eight, as MI ended power-play at 20/2, their second-lowest total in this phase in WPL history.

With DC being spot-on with their bowling, MI could just hit a lot of balls to fielders, who were superb at cutting angles and saving runs. But from the ninth over, Nat signaled a shift in gears by going inside-out against N Shree Charani for two boundaries.

Harmanpreet stepped up when she whacked Annabel Sutherland for six before nailing her drive, cut, and slice to collect a hat-trick of boundaries against Jess Jonassen in a 13-run 11th over. Harmanpreet welcomed Minnu Mani by pulling and flicking off her wrists to get two boundaries and reach her fifty in 32 balls.

The duo hit one more boundary each before Nat swept straight to square leg off Charani in the 15th over and fell for 30 off 28 balls. From there, DC triggered MI’s slide as Jess took out Amelia Kerr and Sajeevan Sajana in quick succession, while Harmanpreet holed out to deep cover off Annabel Sutherland’s bowling, and G Kamalini was stumped off N Shree Charani. But boundaries from Amanjot Kaur and Sanskriti Gupta got MI to reach one run short of the 150-mark.

Brief scores:

Mumbai Indians 149/7 in 20 overs (Harmanpreet Kaur 66, Nat Sciver-Brunt 30; Marizanne Kapp 2-11, Jess Jonassen 2-26) against Delhi Capitals