The Women’s cricket action will return with the second season of the Women’s Premier League, which begins on Friday here at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
Mumbai Indians, the reigning champion, will face Delhi Capitals in its first game of the season. Ahead of the repeat clash of the WPL 2023 final, Capitals captain Meg Lanning and Mumbai captain Harmanpreet Kaur addressed the media.
While speaking about Delhi’s preparation, Lanning said, “Our preparations have been great. We had some time this year to get together as a squad, and there have also been some camps throughout the year, which has resulted in some really good improvements from everyone.
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“We have a full squad now. Annabel Sutherland arrived yesterday, so we got everyone in together. We’ve had some good training sessions and match simulations to give people in the middle a better idea of what their role might be,” Lanning explained.
Unlike the previous season, this time, all teams had ample time to put up a camp ahead of the 2024 campaign.
It has been a very smooth transition into the squad, and everyone is excited to participate in the tournament again. I’m excited to start the tournament tomorrow night against Mumbai. They’ve got some incredible players led by Harman and got some good depth as well. We expect some tough competition from them,” said Lanning on their opponents.
Lanning also heaped praise on new signing Annabel Sutherland. She said, “Annabel has matured on and off the pitch in the last year to become an extremely valuable member of any team on which she plays. She has some serious power with the bat and can play multiple roles depending on the game situation. She will be in the middle of the lineup as he has the ability to come in and finish the innings.”
FILE- Delhi Capitals skipper Meg Lanning in action during WPL 2023. | Photo Credit: EMMANUAL YOGINI/The Hindu
The Delhi Capitals skipper confirmed that South African star all-rounder Marizanne Kapp will return to action after missing out on the Test against Australia due to illness.
“She looks good. She trained yesterday and appears to be doing quite well. She’ll be here again tonight to train, and everything is going well. We expect her to be available to play tomorrow,” she stated.
Harmanpreet, meanwhile, appeared relaxed ahead of the match. She said, “We are not expecting too much from ourselves and are not trying to overdo things. We want to keep things simple and just relax, be in the moment, and continue doing the right things, as we did last year.
“We had a camp in Mumbai at our home ground, where we played practice games to try out new combinations and give everyone an equal chance,” she added.
MI has roped in out-and-out pacer Shabnim Ismail to strengthen the bowling department.
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“She is a great player and has done well for her country and whichever leagues she plays for. She brings in a lot of experience and is someone who can bowl at good pace, and that’s what we have been looking for. Last year, Issy Wong gave us a lot of balance, and now this year, we have another option in Shabnim. Her presence gives us that extra cushioning in bowling,” she said.
Speaking about another new addition to the squad this year, Amandeep Kaur, Harmanpreet said, “I have not seen any other woman cricketer who bowls left-arm wrist spin. She is a good pick for us. You need variety in T20 cricket and sometimes the batters get used to your regular bowlers.
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