Combined MI-DC playing 11 for WPL 2024 ft. Hayley Matthews, Meg Lanning
The Mumbai Indians (MI) will lock horns with the Delhi Capitals (DC) in the opening game of the WPL 2024 season at Bengaluru on Friday, February 23. The two best teams of the previous season facing off is the perfect way to get the tournament going.
MI and DC had beaten each other once during the league phase last season and it was Harmanpreet Kaur and Co. who triumphed over Meg Lanning and her team in a thrilling final. One of the major reasons why the sides led by Harmanpreet and Lanning had such a closely contested final was because of the plethora of quality players available in both teams.
Ahead of the WPL 2024 season, both MI and DC have once again formed powerful squads. On that note, let's take a look at what the combined XI of the two teams would look like:
Top order: Yastika Bhatia (wk), Hayley Matthews & Meg Lanning
Yastika Bhatia and Hayley Matthews combined brilliantly for MI last season and gave them several great starts at the top of the order. Matthews was also the Purple Cap holder last season with 16 scalps, making her an invaluable part of any T20 team.
Meg Lanning won the Orange Cap last season for being the highest run-scorer in the league with a staggering 345 runs. Having opened for DC but also had a sensational career for Australia at No.3, Lanning adds even more quality to the top order by her presence.
Middle-order: Nat Sciver-Brunt, Harmanpreet Kaur, Marizanne Kapp, Pooja Vastrakar, Amanjot Kaur
The middle-order is filled with several top-quality all-rounders who know how to step up on the big stage. Nat Sciver-Brunt was the second-highest run-scorer in WPL last year with 332 runs and also picked up 10 wickets.
Another quality batter who can do the damage with the new ball is Marizanne Kapp. Her experience alongside Harmanpreet Kaur could be crucial to the middle order. It will allow the likes of Pooja Vastrakar and Amanjot Kaur to express themselves while finishing the innings and also chip in with a few handy overs.
Bowlers: Shikha Pandey, Titas Sadhu, Saika Ishaque
The combination of Shikha Pandey and Titas Sadhu could be interesting given the experience and the flair of youth that they bring to the table respectively. Shikha's quality is well known and Titas also managed to make an impact in her early international days for India.
Left-arm spinner Saika Ishaque was one of the finds of WPL 2023 with 15 wickets. She too made her debut for India recently and will hope to continue the good work in the WPL 2024 season as well.