Best playing 11 of WPL 2024 ft. Marizanne Kapp and Deepti Sharma
The 2024 Women's Premier League (WPL) came to a close with the final between the Delhi Capitals (DC) and the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Sunday, March 17 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
The season ended up being a memorable affair kick-starting with a set of thrilling last-ball affairs. Although the competition saw a phase where the side chasing had a string of victories, the shift to Delhi for the second half turned things around.
The surface in Delhi brought its own intrigue, but players continued to step up with memorable performances. The race for the Orange Cap and the Purple Cap remained tight along with the franchises' race for the top three spots in the table.
It was the overseas candidates and the established Indian players that dominated the proceedings this time around too, while the uncapped players also made their presence felt in terms of contribution.
On that note, let us take a look at the best playing 11 of WPL 2024 following the culmination of the season.
Top Order: Meg Lanning (C), Smriti Mandhana, and Ellyse Perry
To be in contention for the Orange Cap for the second straight edition showcases Meg Lanning's sheer consistency. After being the leading scorer last season, she dominated the run charts yet again, making the most of a solid start. She struck three fifties in a row to cross the 300-run mark, continuing a good run of form since her international retirement.
Smriti Mandhana had to make a huge statement after being the most expensive acquisition in the league. The opening batter's numbers from the inaugural season did no justice to her talent. She made amends this time by scoring in bulk and doing so at a brisk rate. She struck two fifties in the second edition, both of which were brilliant knocks.
Much like Smriti Mandhana, Ellyse Perry also made a huge statement with her all-round exploits. She recorded WPL's best spell in the form of a brute 6-15 against Mumbai Indians to seal RCB's progress into the playoffs. However, her best has actually come with the bat, with over 300 runs to her name, crossing the 40-run five times in the campaign.
Middle Order: Harmanpreet Kaur, Richa Ghosh (WK), Marizanne Kapp, Deepti Sharma
Harmanpreet Kaur could not help MI defend the title, but had a solid campaign with the bat. She had to step up with their overseas players like Hayley Matthews and Nat Sciver-Brunt not being in the best of form. She scored 268 runs in seven matches at a strike rate of 141.05 in WPL 2024. Her unbeaten 95 against the Gujarat Giants (GG) was arguably the knock of the tournament as well.
Richa Ghosh played a huge role for RCB in the middle order with her performances under pressure with both bat and gloves. She struck a brilliant fifty in the team's season opener against the UP Warriorz, and her fifty against DC, despite being in vain, was among the top knocks in WPL 2024.
Marizanne Kapp ended up as the leading wicket-taker in the league stage despite missing out on a couple of matches, and that speaks volumes. She has made the new ball talk in Bengaluru as well as Delhi, proving to be a huge challenge for the opposition top order. The all-rounder has also stepped up with the bat when required, scoring runs at a brisk pace to finish the innings off in style.
Deepti Sharma had a sensational tournament with both bat and ball. The all-rounder was far from her best in the inaugural edition, and showcased her true colors at the second time of asking. She scored 295 runs in eight innings at a strike rate of 136.57, the bulk of which came towards the end of the league stage in the form of three successive fifties.
Lower Order: Jess Jonassen, Radha Yadav, Asha Sobhana, Arundhati Reddy
Jess Jonassen had to watch from the sidelines initially as DC preferred all-rounder Annabel Sutherland in the playing XI. The spin bowling all-rounder finally availed her chance after missing out on the first two games, and cemented her place in the playing XI straightaway.
She picked up three wickets in each of the three matches since her return and scored valuable runs down the order in quick time as well. Although her form has dipped a bit in the Delhi-leg of the competition, she remains a utility player that can win the team matches as well on her day.
The Indian trio of Radha Yadav, Asha Sobhana, and Arundhati Reddy make up the remainder of the bowling attack.
Radha Yadav had a solid tournament, picking up 10 wickets at an economy of 7.04. Although leg-spinner Asha Sobhana has been inconsistent at times, she has stepped up for the side when it matters the most. She bowled in the death overs in RCB's close wins over UPW and MI, with the latter being the Eliminator contest. DC's
Arundhati Reddy is the leading wicket-taker among Indian seamers (tied with Shikha Pandey) in the WPL. She claimed eight wickets in as many matches, bowling the crucial overs in the middle and end phase of the innings.