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WPL 2023: Inaugural edition ends with promise of changing Indian cricket for better

WPL 2023 has concluded, with Mumbai Indians emerging as the champion, defeating Delhi Capitals in the final in Mumbai on Sunday. In conclusion, it appears to be a promise for Indian cricket, which is changing for good.

WPL 2023: Inaugural edition ends with promise of changing Indian cricket for better-ayh
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First Published Mar 27, 2023, 3:13 PM IST

The 2023 Women's Premier League (WPL) made a captivating debut, promising a bright future for aspiring female cricketers in India. Still, the hurriedly organised first season also left a lot of scope for improvement in the future. The WPL played entirely across two venues in Mumbai and witnessed special performances from some of the best cricketers in the world. Leaving aside left-arm spinner Saika Ishaque, it only unearths a few local talents, unlike what was expected.

The five-team competition culminated on Sunday with Mumbai Indians captain Harmanpreet Kaur finally leading her side across the line in the summit clash against a team headed by Australian legend Meg Lanning. The tournament began with plenty of scores over 200 with boundaries as short as 42-44 metres, but pitches tired out eventually and became spin-friendly.

ALSO READ: WPL 2023: 'Waiting a long time to know what it feels like to be winning' - Harmanpreet after MI's title win

Mumbai's Hayley Matthews won the Purple Cap for her 16 wickets, including four in the final, but Nat Sciver-Brunt was the top performer with ten wickets and 332 runs. Apart from Mumbai Indians' Ishaque, who took 15 wickets, Shreyanka Patil and Kanika Ahuja of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) made their mark on the big stage. Still, a clear gap existed between those from the Indian domestic circuit and the world's best.

While Patil lit up the field with her energy and enthusiasm, 20-year-old Ahuja showed tremendous promise at a young age with her explosive batting. Harmanpreet acknowledged that little-known Indian players did not get many roles and opportunities to play, but added value to their teams with their fielding, citing the examples of MI's Amanjot Kaur and Jintimani Kalita.

ALSO READ: WPL 2023 Final - Nat Sciver-Brunt and Harmanpreet Kaur hand MI easy title success against DC; Twitter jubilant

The Indian skipper hoped that young and uncapped Indian players would emerge wiser from experience, knowing how to bridge the gap. Delhi's head coach Jonathan Batty left with the message, challenging young Indian players to work on their game and fitness for season two. While Mumbai Indians (MI) achieved the high of recording five consecutive wins en route to the title triumph, a team led by another Indian star, Smriti Mandhana's RCB, endured a five-game losing streak when the competition got underway, and the tournament ended for them even before it began.

Mandhana admitted facing difficulties handling a team of players with enormous stature and more experience than her. Her form with the bat failed to inspire RCB, who also had the likes of Ellyse Perry, Heather Knight, Sophie Devine, Megan Schutt and Renuka Singh, to name a few. No doubt Mandhana, a leadership prospect with the Indian team, will emerge better from her first WPL stint as captain and player, but how the team responds after a horrendous first season remains to be seen.

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Lanning's Delhi Capitals (DC) did not instil fear in the opposition as Harmanpreet's MI did. Still, the Australian Lanning led from the front and ended as the tournament's leading run-getter. But, if Lanning was consistent with the bat at the top, Shafali Verma blowing hot and cold remained an issue that DC could only do a little about.

If RCB had to bear with Mandhana's poor run with the bat, DC experienced the same with their vice-captain Jemimah Rodrigues. The right-handed batter failed to score even a 50 but entertained the crowd with her athleticism, taking some stunning catches. Gujarat Giants (GG) began by losing its preferred captain Beth Mooney halfway into the first game and endured a largely disappointing campaign. Still, Deol's contributions and Ashleigh Gardner's prowess give it hope for the future.

ALSO READ: WPL 2023 - It's Delhi Capitals vs Mumbai Indians in the Final; Isabelle Wong's hat-trick eliminates UP Warriorz

Sneh Rana did her best as stand-in captain, but overall, GG was not good enough to advance to the knockouts. Alyssa Healy's UP Warriorz (UPW) got outplayed in the Eliminator by MI. Still, it was the first side to beat the eventual winner and showed a lot of promise with Navgire, Grace Harris, Anjali Sarvani and Sophie Ecclestone, who took joint highest 16 wickets in its ranks.

The 22-game competition spread over as many days this March was held entirely in Mumbai, and like many, both Healy and Ecclestone also wished for home and away games from next season onwards. It remains to be seen if the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) decides to organise the next WPL in the home-away format like the Indian Premier League (IPL), as crowd support plays a big part in the success of teams and also helps in creating a much-needed fan base.

(With inputs from PTI)

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