Delhi Capitals

In the previous edition, Harmanpreet Kaur, captain of Mumbai Indians, clinched the inaugural WPL title at the Brabourne Stadium. Fast forward to this year, Smriti led RCB to a resounding victory over Delhi Capitals by eight wickets, witnessed by a spirited crowd of 29,131 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.

With 14 IPL appearances and 25 wickets to his credit, Ngidi's absence is a blow for DC. His lower-back injury, sustained recently during the SA20, has necessitated his withdrawal from the upcoming IPL season, leading the Capitals to opt for Fraser-McGurk as a stand-in.

The match kicked off with an electrifying performance from Marizanne Kapp, who wreaked havoc on the Giants' batting lineup in the opening overs, claiming three crucial wickets. Partnering with Jess Jonassen, they further dismantled the Giants, leaving them struggling at 16 for 3 within the first five overs.

Opting to bat first, Delhi Capitals posted a challenging total of 181/5, courtesy of impressive contributions from Jemimah Rodrigues, who smashed a quickfire 58 off 36 balls, and Alice Capsey, who added 48 runs from 32 deliveries. RCB's chase seemed on track with Ellyse Perry's blistering 49 off 32 balls until she fell victim to a run-out, leaving the team at 93/3 in the 12th over.

Opting to bat first, Delhi Capitals faced a challenging task against Gujarat Giants' bowling attack. However, Meg Lanning's resilient knock of 55 runs off 41 balls provided the much-needed stability to the innings. Despite losing early wickets, contributions from Alice Capsey and late fireworks by Shikha Pandey propelled Delhi Capitals to a modest total of 163/8 in their allotted 20 overs.

Reflecting on his emotions, Pant expressed his childhood dream of contributing to a team and feels fortunate to fulfill it.

Sarfaraz Khan had a modest performance, scoring 53 runs in four matches, while Manish Pandey accumulated 160 runs in 10 games during the previous season.