Meg Lanning and Saika Ishaque. (Photo Source: Twitter)
The very first game of the inaugural Women’s Premier League 2023 witnessed Mumbai Indians posting a total above 200 runs, thereby giving fans the worth of their money. The two sides put up a brilliant show on display and the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side clinched a victory, defeating the Beth Mooney-led side by a whopping 143-run margin.
The competition has been very tight since then, as the second match between Meg Lanning’s Delhi Capitals and Smriti Mandhana’s Royal Challengers Bangalore saw the former surpassing Mumbai Indians’ tally of the previous game, thereby posting 223 runs on board. The defeated the Bangalore-based franchise by 60 runs to clinch a dominating victory.
Since the very first game, Meg Lanning has been leading her side from the front, and has emerged as the leading run-scorer of the tournament. Mumbai’s Hayley Matthews gave her a tough fight, but by scoring crucial runs for her side while opening the innings alongside Shafali Verma, Lanning carried the momentum in every game and proudly wears the Orange cap.
On the wicket-taking front, Mumbai Indians’ emerging star Saika Ishaque has taken the game by storm. The 27-year-old from Kolkata registered figures of 4/11 in the first game of the tournament, making her WPL entry in style. Since then, she has not gone wicketless in any of the four games that Mumbai have played so far. Thus, with 12 wickets from four games, Ishaque currently holds the Purple cap.
So far, Lanning has amassed 206 runs in four games including two half-centuries. In the very first game, she put up a record 162-run opening partnership alongside Shafali Verma scoring 72 runs off 43 deliveries. In the second game against UP Warriorz, she racked up 70 runs in 42 deliveries and led her side to a victory. In the third game against Mumbai Indians, she was the top scorer for her side with a 42-ball 41 and remained unbeaten in the fourth game against Gujarat scoring 21 off 15 as Shafali Verma led the charge.
Speaking of Saika Ishaque, after impressing everyone in Mumbai’s campaign opener, she picked up two wickets against RCB while conceding 26 runs. In the third game against the high-flying Delhi Capitals, Ishaque’s 3/13 helped Mumbai continue their winning juggernaut and put a halt to DC’s winning run. In the most recent game against UP Warriorz, Saika picked up three wickets while giving away 33 runs which helped her side restrict the opponents to a low total.
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