Top 5 batting performances of WPL 2023
The inaugural edition of the Women's Premier League (WPL) concluded on Sunday, March 26, with Mumbai Indians (MI) winning the title after beating Delhi Capitals (DC) in the final at the Brabourne Stadium.
Despite apprehensions from certain sectors, the tournament has been a massive success. There has been no dearth of excitement, with players producing some high-octane performances.
Throughout the tournament, we witnessed some spectacular batting performances from some high-quality players in clutch situations.
On that note, let's take a look at the top five batting performances in this edition of WPL 2023.
#1 Sophie Devine (99 vs GG)
In a game between Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Gujarat Giants (GG) at the Brabourne Stadium, Sneh Rana and Co. notched up 188 runs in the first innings.
In response, RCB chased down the total convincingly in just 15.3 overs. It was solely possible because of Sophie Devine, who produced a batting spectacle, smashing 99 runs off 36 deliveries at a mind-blowing strike rate of 275.
Prior to this game, RCB had won just one out of six games and desperately needed a big win. This win helped boost RCB's net run-rate and kept them alive in WPL 2023, only to get ruled out later.
#2 Alyssa Healy (96 vs RCB)
In a game against RCB at the Brabourne Stadium, UP Warriorz (UPW) bowled the opposition out for just 138, thanks to a phenomenal performance by the bowlers.
UPW reached the target without losing any wickets, thanks to openers Devika Vaidya and Alyssa Healy.
The Warriorz skipper played a gem of a knock, scoring 96 runs off just 46 deliveries at a strike rate of more than 200. Her innings included one six and 18 boundaries, which helped her team chase down the target in only 13 overs.
#3 Shafali Verma (59/76 vs GGT)
Against Gujarat Giants, Shafali Verma was on song as she smashed 76 runs off 28 deliveries at an unbelievable strike rate of 271.43.
Delhi required just 105 runs to win the game after a brilliant effort with the ball. Verma and Meg Lanning got the job done in just 7.1 overs.
Lanning, one of the best players in the world, played second fiddle to Verma on the day. Verma absolutely bludgeoned all the bowlers from the opposition during that match-winning knock.
#4 Grace Harris (72 vs GGT)
Grace Harris' power-hitting was on full display in WPL 2023 and one of her trademark knocks came against the Giants towards the end of the season.
Gujarat posted 178 after batting first, and it was important for UPW to win the game from a qualification point of view.
At 39-3, UPW were behind in the game before Grace Harris stepped up to the task. She played an excellent innings, scoring 72 off 41 balls, including seven boundaries and four sixes. Her smart and well-calculated knock took her side across the line and ensured that they were through to the WPL 2023 playoffs.
#5 Meg Lanning (72 vs RCB)
Australia's talismanic leader Meg Lanning announced her arrival in WPL 2023 with a knock for the ages against RCB in her team's first game of the season.
She scored 72 runs off 43 deliveries and also shared a 162-run stand for the first wicket with Shafali Verma. It was a knock that was headlined by immaculate timing. Her knock helped DC set RCB a target of 224, which they couldn't chase eventually.