WPL 2025: Harmanpreet Expresses Disappointment Over Batting Collapse as Delhi Triumphs Over Mumbai in Nail-biting Finish

Vadodara, Feb 15 (NationPress) Mumbai Indians captain Harmanpreet Kaur acknowledged that her team squandered a winning opportunity due to inadequate batting discipline, as Delhi Capitals secured a thrilling two-wicket victory in the second match of the Women's Premier League (WPL) 2025 at Kotambi Stadium. Despite a commendable performance from Nat Sciver-Brunt and herself, MI could not complete their full overs, which ultimately led to their defeat.

Initially, the Mumbai Indians appeared to be heading towards a formidable total when Sciver-Brunt and Harmanpreet were at the crease. After being asked to bat first, MI lost a couple of early wickets, but Sciver-Brunt orchestrated a recovery with a stellar 80 not out off 59 balls. She displayed her dominance by striking boundaries at critical moments to keep the scoreboard active. Harmanpreet also contributed significantly with a quick 42 off 22 balls, but a late-order collapse resulted in MI being bowled out for 164 in 19.1 overs.

Annabel Sutherland (3-34) and Shikha Pandey (2-14) played key roles in restricting MI, striking at crucial times to prevent any significant partnerships following the collaboration between Sciver-Brunt and Harmanpreet.

“Even though we couldn't set a competitive total, I believed we would reach 200 while Nat and I were batting. Those five balls we missed out on were costly. Ismail is a fantastic bowler who provides us with breakthroughs. Sajana performed well in practice games, but unfortunately, we misfielded off her bowling, which hurt us,” Harmanpreet remarked after the match.

“The priority is to play 20 overs. We must bat through the full 20 overs. The established batter should remain until the end. When I was at the crease, I should have batted longer. Such collapses can happen, but our batters need to take greater responsibility in the next match,” she added.

In pursuit of 165, Delhi Capitals started strong, thanks to an explosive innings from Shafali Verma. The young opener wasted no time, hitting Saika Ishaque for three consecutive boundaries before clearing the mid-wicket boundary with a six.

However, Delhi faced a setback when Verma, after a rapid 43, was caught out off Hayley Matthews, and Lanning had her off-stump knocked over by Ismail for 15. MI struck again when Jemimah Rodrigues (2) misjudged a delivery from Amelia Kerr and offered a catch to Harmanpreet at cover. With Sutherland dismissed cheaply by Sciver-Brunt, Delhi found themselves in a precarious position at 83/4 in the 12th over.

At this critical moment, debutant Niki Prasad showed impressive composure. The teenager, who recently captained India to a U-19 World Cup title, played calmly, focusing on singles and rotating the strike. Alice Capsey joined her briefly before falling to Kerr for 16, leaving the Capitals at 111/5.

The introduction of Sarah Bryce injected much-needed momentum. The Scottish batter quickly scored, slashing Ishaque for a four and edging a fortunate boundary past the keeper. Her six over cow corner reduced the target, but her innings ended prematurely as she was caught off Matthews for 21 (10).

With 21 runs required from the last two overs, Delhi needed a twist. A mix-up led to Shikha Pandey's run out for 2, leaving Radha Yadav and Niki Prasad to finish the chase. Radha kept hopes alive with a six over mid-wicket, but as the final over began, DC still needed 10 runs.

Harmanpreet assigned Sajeevan Sajana the final over—a bold move as Sajana had not bowled all match. Prasad sliced the first ball for four, and a misfield allowed two more runs, reducing the target to four needed from four balls. A single followed, leaving two runs to win off the last two balls. Just as Delhi seemed poised for victory, Prasad was caught for a well-made 35 (33) off Kerr at deep mid-wicket.

Now, two runs were needed off the last ball, with Arundhati Reddy on strike. Reddy charged down the pitch and lofted the ball over cover. A direct throw came in at the non-striker’s end, leading to a nail-biting finish. Replays confirmed that Reddy had just made her ground with a desperate dive, giving Delhi a dramatic last-ball victory.