Nat Sciver-Brunt and Harmanpreet Kaur thwart Delhi Capitals once more as Mumbai Indians reclaim the Women’s Premier League title | Cricbuzz.com

Double Triumph for Mumbai Indians
Nat Sciver-Brunt and Harmanpreet Kaur thwart Capitals as MI Reclaims WPL Title
By Cricbuzz Staff

In an exhilarating display of skill and composure, Mumbai Indians clinched their second Women’s Premier League title. With a captain’s knock from Harmanpreet Kaur and an all-encompassing performance by Nat Sciver-Brunt, MI dashed Delhi Capitals’ hopes for a third successive final, edging out a narrow victory by 8 runs. Despite Marizanne Kapp’s valiant all-round efforts, the Capitals fell just short in a nail-biting finish.

Delhi Capitals, determined to seize the elusive crown, suffered early blows in their chase of 150, losing both Meg Lanning and Shafali Verma within the first three overs. Sciver-Brunt executed a masterful off-cutter to dismantle Lanning’s defenses, while Shabnim Ismail employed a similar strategy to trap Verma LBW. A momentary reprieve came when Jess Jonassen and Jemimah Rodrigues capitalized on the sixth over, but their hopes were dashed when Amelia Kerr introduced the spin attack. Jonassen, deceived by a googly, miscued a shot, leading to another wicket. Saika Ishaque compounded Delhi’s woes, dismissing Annabel Sutherland and reducing them to 44/4. As Rodrigues attempted to escalate the attack, Kerr quickly responded with a leading edge dismissal.

Despite facing an uphill battle, Kapp infused life into the Capitals’ innings with her dynamic hitting. Capitalizing on a lofted six and strategic boundaries against MI’s bowlers, Kapp reduced the target to a manageable 35 off 24 balls, bringing tensions to a fever pitch for Mumbai Indians. Even with the assistance of Niki Prasad, Capitals needed one decisive over to turn their fortunes. However, Sciver-Brunt rose to the occasion, dispatching both Kapp and Shikha Pandey in quick succession, dashing Delhi’s hopes yet again. Prasad briefly reignited the fight with a maximum, but Sciver-Brunt’s seasoned prowess saw MI navigating through the final over with precision, conceding a mere five runs, leaving Capitals short of their target.

Earlier in the match, Delhi’s Kapp and Pandey constricted MI’s scoring in the powerplay with an outstanding new-ball spell. Kapp, demolishing Hayley Matthews’ stumps with a brilliant delivery, continued to exert pressure, concluding her spell with the dismissal of Yastika Bhatia. MI, at one point stifled at 28/2, witnessed a resurgence courtesy of Kaur and Sciver-Brunt. The experienced pair methodically dismantled the opposition bowling, with Kaur particularly aggressive, notching up boundaries against Jonassen and Minnu Mani, leading to a commanding half-century.

As the innings unfolded, Sciver-Brunt’s untimely dismissal to square-leg triggered a Delhi resurgence. Jonassen capitalized with two quick wickets, and Sutherland removed the formidable Kaur, leaving MI at 118/6. Consequential lower-order runs boosted MI to a defendable 149, a total that ultimately suffocated Delhi’s pursuit, securing Mumbai Indians their second title win in three seasons.

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

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