Picking the best playing 11 of Week 1 of WPL 2024 ft. Marizanne Kapp and Smriti Mandhana
The first week of the 2024 Women's Premier League (WPL) came to a fitting close with Delhi Capitals' (DC) scripting a 25-run win over Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Thursday.
The second edition of the tournament, which commenced from February 23 onwards, has been action-filled, to say the least. The first set of matches ended up being last-ball thrillers, setting the tone for the rest of the event.
With each team now having played three matches, barring the Gujarat Giants (GG), the points table is also beginning to shape up quite well. The trio of Mumbai Indians (MI), Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), and the Delhi Capitals (DC) occupy the top slots with the same number of points, only separated by net run rate.
Some players have certainly stood out from the rest in the first week of the competition, and on that note, let us take a look at the best playing XI of the season so far.
Top Order: Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma and Alice Capsey
Smriti Mandhana, who had a woeful season in 2023, is on course to amend things and has made a terrific start in the 2024 edition. The opening batter currently holds the Orange Cap following her maiden fifty in the competition during the loss against DC. She has scored 130 runs in three matches at a strike rate of 160.49.
Shafali Verma had an underwhelming start to the tournament, getting her middle stump knocked out in the early overs against MI. However, the aggressive right-handed batter has since recorded successive fifties. She has scored 114 runs in three matches at a strike rate of 140.24.
Alice Capsey had a promising WPL 2023 season, and she continues to be the No.3 candidate for DC in their batting order. She began her campaign with a gritty fifty in the season opener. She also bowled the fateful last over, being on the receiving end of S Sajana's massive final ball six.
Capsey has maintained her form, scoring 46 runs against RCB. However, she didn't get the chance to bat against UPW.
Middle Order: Harmanpreet Kaur, Marizanne Kapp, Amelia Kerr, Richa Ghosh
MI skipper Harmanpreet Kaur played two significant knocks to begin her season, before missing out on the clash against UPW due to a niggle. She has scored 101 runs at a strike rate of 134.66.
Marizanne Kapp is proving to be one of the best players in the tournament so far due to her all-round skills. She has been handy with the bat in the middle order and simply deadly with the new ball. The South Africa all-rounder put in a Player of the Match display against the UPW, rattling the top-order batters with her swing bowling.
Amelia Kerr is currently the WPL Purple Cap holder with seven wickets. Apart from her bowling, she has chipped in while batting in the middle order, especially with Nat Sciver-Brunt and Hayley Matthews not hitting top gear so far. The New Zealand international has played handy cameos in all three matches at a solid strike rate as well.
Richa Ghosh emerges as the best wicket-keeping option following the first week of action in the WPL. She scored a crucial fifty in the team's win over UPW as well.
Bowlers: Radha Yadav, Shabnim Ismail, Renuka Singh Thakur and Asha Sobhana
Radha Yadav brings versatility into this combined playing XI with her left-arm spin as well as her electric fielding and handy batting ability down the order. She picked up a four-fer in DC's win over UPW.
In the pace department, the likes of Renuka Singh and Shabnim Ismail will join Kapp to round up the unit to provide the right balance. The conditions at Chinnaswamy, especially early on in the innings, have allowed seamers to thrive.
Shabnim Ismail has started her stint with MI in style after an underwhelming first season for the UPW in WPL 2023. The former South Africa international missed the recent clash against her former franchise, but has shown her impact through the first set of matches.
Renuka Singh Thakur had a shocker of a WPL season in 2023. Despite being one of the frontline bowlers in the RCB squad, she ended up with only one wicket in six matches. However, this time around, the right-arm pacer has started quite well. Getting the new ball to move around, she has taken three wickets so far, including a player of the match display against GG.
Asha Sobhana has recorded the best figures of the season so far, claiming 5/22 in RCB's win over UPW. Although her performance levels have slid across the last couple of matches, she remains one of the best bowlers from the opening week of the 2024 WPL.
Which teams will qualify for the WPL 2024 playoffs? Let us know what you think.