3 Rohit Sharma records Harmanpreet Kaur can match with MI Women
Mumbai Indians (MI) won the first edition of the Women's Premier League (WPL), beating Delhi Capitals (DC) by seven wickets at the Brabourne Stadium on Sunday, March 26.
MI skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, who had a great tournament with the bat and led the team from the front, was elated after the victory.
Mumbai Indians are the most successful team in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL). They have won the title five times - all of them under the leadership of Rohit Sharma.
In this piece, let's draw parallels between three records created by Rohit and how Harmanpreet Kaur can replicate those in the WPL.
#1 Most IPL/WPL titles
Rohit Sharma took over a Mumbai side that failed to win the title in the first five seasons of the competition. He was appointed captain midway through IPL 2013 after Ricky Ponting stepped down.
Since then, he has won five IPL titles and one CLT20. He is even more successful than MS Dhoni - one of the greatest captains in the sport's history in terms of titles won.
Harmanpreet Kaur will be looking to repeat the initial success in the upcoming years and create a legacy of her own in the Mumbai Indians franchise.
#2 A half-century in an IPL/WPL final
Rohit Sharma remains the only captain to have scored two half-centuries in the IPL final.
Batting at No.3, he scored a belligerent 50 off 26 balls in the 2015 final against Chennai Super Kings at Eden Gardens. He brought up another half-century in an IPL final in 2020. He scored 68 off 51 balls in a run-chase of 157 against the Delhi Capitals in Dubai.
Harmanpreet Kaur, on the other hand, scored a crucial 37 in the WPL final, but was run out in the 17th over of the chase.
Kaur has a history of stepping up in big matches. Having done so at the international level, albeit in losing causes, definitely shows the ability she possesses when the stakes are high.
#3 Player of the Match awards
Rohit Sharma has won 18 Player of the Match awards in the IPL - the joint-third in the tournament's history. He won 15 of those for the Mumbai Indians and three for the Deccan Chargers between 2008 and 10.
Harmanpreet was the second-highest run-getter for Mumbai, only behind Nat Sciver-Brunt in this edition of the WPL. She also won three Player of the Match awards. It remains to be seen if she manages to achieve Rohit's feat.