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Delhi Capitals hope to be third time lucky as they eye first WPL title

Is it 2023 again ? Mumbai Indians [MI] and Delhi Capitals [DC], two consistently good teams with all-star line-ups, meet again in the WPL final. While DC have breezed into the final this season, MI are coming in battle-hardened, having had to take the circuitous route by playing three matches in four days to get there.
DC have been strong in most departments, and have got their selection calls right throughout the season. Their captain Meg Lanning hit form late in the tournament, Shafali Verma has continued to churn out the runs at the top of the other, and the move to promote Jess Jonassen to No. 3 has paid off. But for DC to look more threatening, they’d want their middle order to step up further. Their middle order (Nos. 4 to 7) collectively averages 17.50, the lowest this season, and have struck at 116.66, which is the second-lowest among all teams.
MI’s line-up also drips with power and strength. Powerplay bowling has been one of DC’s strongest suits, but only MI have bettered that. DC’s bowlers have taken 50 wickets at 23.84 in this phase, while MI have 61 wickets at 22.68.
For MI,Nat Sciver-Brunt has been at her brutal best, Hayley Matthews has delivered with both bat and ball, and captain Harmanpreet Kaur has hit high tempo. The rest of the line-up, though, has blown hot and cold.
But MI will be playing at their home ground – a venue where they’ve lost just once in seven games – and that tilts the scales in their favour. DC, though, have had a good seven days break, and will be coming in without the pressure of having had to scramble for a place in the final. Two heartbreaking finals later, will third time be the charm for them?
MI had promoted Amelia Kerr to the opening slot, and pushed Yastika Bhatia down the order for a couple of games. While Yastika was able to make quick runs from her new position, Kerr, who hasn’t been in the best of form with the bat, wasn’t able to capitalise on her starts. The order went back to what it was in the Eliminator against Gujarat Giants (GG), but neither player made an impact. Will MI switch their positions again to get the best out of Yastika?
MI had also brought in left-arm spinner Saika Ishaque in place of Parunika Sisodia for the Eliminator. Will they pick Ishaque again for the final after she bowled just one over against GG?
DC, who were last in action on March 7, are unlikely to make any changes to their line-up.
Mumbai Indians (probable): Hayley Matthews, Amelia Kerr, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), Amanjot Kaur, Yastika Bhatia (wk), S Sajana, G Kamalini, Sanskriti Gupta, Shabnim Ismail, Saika Ishaque
Delhi Capitals (probable): Meg Lanning (capt), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Annabel Sutherland, Marizanne Kapp, Jess Jonassen, Sarah Bryce (wk), Niki Prasad, Minnu Mani, Shikha Pandey, Titas Sadhu
[Cricinfo]
Latest News
Mandhana, Amanjot, Rana power India to tri-series title

India posted the highest women’s ODI score in Sri Lanka, and their fourth-highest total in the format, which set them up for a statement win in the tri-series final in Colombo. After piling on the runs, they dismissed Sri Lanka for 245 to underline their dominance over a side they have only lost to three times in 34 completed ODIs.
Smriti Mandhana scored her 11th ODI century, and first against Sri Lanka, and was the senior partner in the two stands that formed the spine of the Indian batting effort. She put on 70 for the first wicket with Pratika Rawal and 120 for the second with Harleen Deol as India raced to 190 inside 33 overs. Deol, Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues all contributed scores in the 40s and India scored 90 runs off the last ten overs to top 340.
That meant Sri Lanka had to complete the highest successful chase in women’s ODIs – a record they already hold – and had to score at a shave under seven runs an over from the get-go. Although the surface and outfield were suited to run-scoring, the task was too tough. They had three half-century stands and one individual fifty from Chamari Athapaththu but could not keep up with the required run rate. Seamer Amanjot Kaur picked up three wickets and offspinner Sneh Rana bagged 4 for 38 to finish as the series’ leading wicket-taker.
But India did not have it all their way early on. Rawal could have been out third ball when she flicked Malki Madara into the leg side, where Harshitha Samarawickrama got hands to the ball but could not hold on. Mandhana was aggressive in the powerplay but she could have been out immediately afterwards when Inoka Ranaweera was brought on. Mandhana, on 21, hit her straight to mid-off where Piumi Wathsala palmed the chance over her head. In her next over, Ranaweera drew both Mandhana and Rawal’s edge but in the first instance, the ball flew through point for four and in the second, it fell short of backward point. Sri Lanka eventually broke through when Rawal handed a catch to Wathsala at mid-on and she made no mistake.
The fall of the wicket prompted Athapaththu to bring herself on and it did not take long before Mandhana got stuck in. She sent the first ball of Athapaththu’s second over back over her head for six. In the next over, Mandhana brought up fifty with a sweep for four through backward square leg in what became a favourite scoring area for her. She scored 34 runs in that section of the ground, exactly the same as the number of runs she scored through the covers and an indication of how well she used her feet to open up areas on the off and on side.
Mandhana dominated the second-wicket partnership, and scored 80 runs to Deol’s 37 and was particularly severe on Vihanga and Athapaththu. She scored 33 runs from the 23 balls she faced from Athapaththu, including 17 runs from Athapaththu’s seventh over. Her runs came with four successive sweeps for four and the third brought up Mandhana’s century, off 92 balls.
Just when Sri Lanka may have wondered where they would get a wicket from, Mandhana sliced Vihanga to backward point where Samarawickrama took a simple catch. Four overs later, Vihanga also removed Deol, whom she caught off her own bowling, to collect her 11th wicket of the series and put her level with Rana at the top of the bowling charts albeit temporarily.
Harmanpreet and Rodrigues were energetic at the crease and shared a 48-run stand in 32 balls, and both fell trying to play big shots off Sugandika Kumari. Harmanpreet top-edged an attempted sweep and was caught at short fine and Rodrigues was caught at long-on. Deepti Sharma added the finishing touches with 20 off 14 balls.
India’s defence got off to a perfect start when Amanjot bowled Hasini Perera with her third ball and Sri Lanka were 0 for 1. Athapaththu came in at No. 3 and announced herself when she smashed Amanjot through point and then hooked her over fine leg; it was clear India would have something of a fight on their hands. But Athapaththu struggled to sustain her fluency and though her stand with Vishmi Gunaratne grew 68, the required run rate climbed to 7.5 an over. When Amanjot returned for a second spell, Gunaratne was bowled as she moved too far across her stumps and missed a flick.
Athapaththu was on 25 off 39 balls then and upped her tempo to reach a 19th ODI half-century off 63 balls but had already offered India a chance. She was on 43 when she smashed the ball back at Rana and it burst through the Indian offspinner’s hands. Rana also appeared to injure herself attempting the catch but returned to get her own back. She lured Athapaththu forward with a full ball that snuck under the bat and bowled her. Sri Lanka were 121 for 3 in the 24th over and still needed 222 runs from 26.4 overs and it seemed only a matter of time before India would get their hands on the trophy.
Sri Lanka put up some late resistance through Samarawickrama, who scored 26 off 32 balls before sending Amanjot to backward point. Rana picked up a second when Nilakshika Silva was caught at long-off. Sri Lanka’s eighth-wicket pair of Sanjeewani and Kumari frustrated India’s attack and put on 47 in 53 balls. It took a run-out and a double-strike from Rana in her final spell to finish things off. Still, India sounded a warning ahead of this year’s World Cup, where they are among the favourites. Sri Lanka, who don’t have any more matches scheduled before the tournament, have some work to do.
Brief scores:
India Women 342 for 7 in 50 overs (Pratika Rawal 30, Smriti Mandhana 116, Harlene Deol 47, Harmanpreet Kaur 41, Jemimah Rodrigues 44, Deepti Sharma 20*; Malki Madara 2-74, Dewmi Vihanga 2-69, Sugandika Kumari 2-59) beat Sri Lanka Women 245 in 48.2 overs (Vishmi Gunaretne 36, Chamari Athapaththu 51, Nilakshika Silva 48, Harshitha Samarawickreme 26, Anushka Sanjeewani 28, Sugandika Kumari 27; Sneh Rana 4-38, Amanjot Kaur 3-54) by 97 runs
[Cricinfo]
Foreign News
Pope Leo prays at tomb of Francis ahead of first Sunday address

Pope Leo XIV will give his first Sunday blessing and address to a crowd in St Peter’s Square in the Vatican today.
He will recite the Regina Caeli prayer, in honour of the Virgin Mary, in his first public address since his election was announced with white smoke on Thursday.
After delivering Sunday mass, Pope Leo will bless those gathered on the square outside – and deliver his reflections.
On Saturday, he visited a shrine outside Rome and then prayed before the tomb of his late predecessor Francis inside the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.
Pope Leo will be formally inaugurated at a mass in St Peter’s Square next week on 18 May.
[BBC]
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