DC vs RCB, WPL 2024 Final: 5 things to look forward to in Sunday's summit clash in Delhi

For a brief moment on Friday, it appeared as if the Women’s Premier League (WPL) was headed towards a second consecutive final between the Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians.

DC had once again finished at the top of the table following another stellar run in the league stage despite losing the opening match of the season. MI would once again finish second, and only this time they’d have to contend with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) instead of the UP Warriorz.

Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and all-rounder Amelia Kerr were well set at the crease with MI 116/3, needing just 20 more to win with three overs left in the chase. And yet, it was RCB that walked away winners following one of the most dramatic comebacks witnessed in recent years.

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Three magical overs from the spin trio of Shreyanka Patil, Sophie Molineux and Asha Sobhana along with another heroic all-round effort from Ellyse Perry helped RCB, who had finished fifth in the six-team table last season, reach the final of the second edition.

It was Mumbai Indians that played host in the inaugural edition of the richest women’s T20 league (and the second wealthiest overall in both men’s and women’s cricket), and they ended up becoming the maiden champions with a seven-wicket victory over DC in the final at the Brabourne Stadium.

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With Bengaluru and Delhi co-hosting matches this season, the latter hosting the second half of the group stage as well as the playoffs, it’s somewhat fitting that the two sides that got to enjoy home advantage this year find themselves gunning for the title in the final.

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Ahead of the big game at New Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday evening, we take a look at five things to look forward to in the WPL 2024 final:

Ellyse Perry’s all-round show

There’s something about the big matches that simply brings out the best in star Australian all-rounder Ellyse Perry, who has been an absolute beast in the second season of the WPL. Not only is she the leading run-scorer in WPL 2024 with 312 runs at a superb average of 62.40, she’s also made a handy contribution or two with the ball along the way — including a haul of 6/15 against the Mumbai Indians in their final league match of the season.

Perry not only single-handedly powered RCB to a crucial victory in that match to keep their playoff hopes alive, she would also dish out a crucial 50-ball 66 that would ultimately help RCB post a relatively competitive 135 on the board from a position where 120 appeared tough.

The kind of form that she’s in at the moment, there’s little doubt DC skipper Meg Lanning will be formulating plans to stop her. Given the amount of time the two have spent in the Australian dressing room, Lanning might just have a trick up her sleeve.

Lanning’s leadership

It’s not just Perry who is known to shine in the big matches. It’s high-stakes events such as the WPL as well as ICC events that brings out the best in Meg Lanning, both as a batter and as a leader.

Lanning, after all, is one of the most successful captains in the history of the sport, taking into account both men’s and women’s cricket, with five ICC titles under her belt. That includes four T20 World Cups (2014, 2018, 2020 and 2023) besides the 2022 ODI World Cup.

Lanning had done just a stellar role as captain of the Delhi Capitals in the inaugural WPL season, only for her side to fall short against MI in the final, resulting in the 31-year-old experiencing something she isn’t entirely used to — missing out on the title.

Maybe 2024 is the year Lanning will finally help Delhi Capitals win its first trophy in either the WPL or the IPL.

And let’s not forget the fact that she’s marginally behind compatriot Perry on the run-scorers’ list with 308 runs, the two the only batters so far this season to cross the 300-run mark.

Shreyanka Patil eyeing a repeat of her heroics

RCB’s title hopes were dead and buried in Friday’s Eliminator against MI until Shreyanka Patil bowled a terrific 18th over in which she not only conceded just four runs but also dismissed MI’s proven finisher in captain Kaur. It was an over that certainly turned the tide in Bangalore’s favour and they would not look back from there on, holding their nerve and emerging triumphant in the end.

Buoyed by her remarkable final over under pressure, Patil will be confident of a repeat of that performance in the final. Especially considering she had ran through the same lineup earlier in the tournament, finishing with 4/26 after bowling her full quota of overs in the Delhi leg of the tournament.

Delhi’s well-rounded attack

While Bangalore have potent bowling options in Perry and Patil among others, let’s not forget the fact that it’s the Delhi Capitals that have the superior attack, at least in terms of numbers this season.

Three of the top four wicket-takers in WPL 2024 happen to be from the Capitals with pacer Marizanne Kapp sitting at the top of the table and left-arm spinners Jess Jonassen and Radha Yadav occupying the third and the fourth spots respectively.

Both Kapp and Jonassen, along with UPW left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone, have collected 11 wickets each but its South African speedster Kapp who sits at the top due to her having the best economy (6.50) of them all.

Kapp also boasts of an excellent average (14.18) and strike rate (13.09) this season, making her one to watch out for in the final. She had got the key wicket of RCB captain Smriti Mandhana in the first DC vs RCB clash of the season, and she will have her sights set on that prized wicket come Sunday.

Mandhana’s opening partner

It’s been a bit of a merry-go-round at the top of the Royal Challengers batting order in the second season of the Women’s Premier League. Skipper Mandhana had opened with veteran White Ferns batter Sophie Devine in RCB’s first four matches of the season before bringing on board Sabbhineni Meghana for the next two matches.

Meghana made way for spinner Molineux for RCB’s last two games of the group stage in what was quite the radical move. Both Meghana and Molineux shone in their first outings as an opener this season, collecting a 21-ball 28 and a 30-ball 33 respectively, but would fall for a low score in their next one.

RCB ultimately went back to Devine, who was pushed down the order to accommodate Meghana at the top, as Mandhana’s opening partner for the Eliminator against MI, and it remains to be seen if the team sticks with this opening pair for the crunch game on Sunday despite the Kiwi batter falling for a modest 10 off just 7 balls on Friday.