Delhi Capitals will be hunting their maiden WPL Title this year (Source: x.com)
It is time for the second season of the Women's Premier League (WPL). The tournament's first match will see a repeat of last year's final between the Mumbai Indians and the Delhi Capitals.
Last year's runner-up, the Capitals, will be looking to go one better this time and lift the coveted trophy. But what are their chances this year, and how far can they go in this edition of the tournament?
First, to analyse the Meg Lanning-led side, let us look at the whole squad.
Batters: Meg Lanning, Jemimah Rodrigues, Laura Harris, Minnu Mani, Shafali Verma, Taniya Bhatiya, Sneha Deepthi, Aparna Mondal, Ashwani Kumari.
All-rounders: Marizanne Kapp, Shikha Pandey, Alice Capsey, Annabel Sutherland.
Pacers: Arundhati Reddy, Titas Sadhu.
Spinners: Jess Jonassen, Poonam Yadav, Radha Yadav.
Strengths of Delhi Capitals for WPL 2024
Strong and experienced top-order
The top-order of the Delhi Capitals looks pretty settled and solid. The skipper Meg Lanning will take on the opening job alongside Shafali Verma. These two batters complement each other; while Lanning could look to play the longer innings, Verma could take on the bowling.
Jemimah Rodrigues, Alice Capsey, and Annabel Sutherland will follow the opening duo. These names will provide great depth, solidity and flexibility to the batting line-up.
Meg Lanning, the leader
The former Aussie skipper Meg Lanning will be remembered as one of the greatest to have ever graced the game. She is the most successful captain in the history of cricket. The plethora of experience that Lanning has as a leader and as a batter is a great strength for the Capitals.
Presence of a plethora of Experienced Players
We have already spoken of Meg Lanning's vast experience. Barring her, names like Marizanne Kapp, Annabel Sutherland, Jess Jonassen, and even Shafali Verma have quite a bit of experience at the highest stage. The amalgamation of these players will go a long way in bailing the team out in crunch and pressure situations.
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Weaknesses of Delhi Capitals for WPL 2024
Lack of Indian all-rounders
The Capitals have great depth and variety in the all-rounder section, with names like Marizanne Kapp, Shikha Pandey, Alice Capsey, and Annabel Sutherland. But the weakness here seems to be the lack of Indian names in the section. An injury or an off-season of any of the first XI players might cause a problem for the management to get the composition right.
Lack of Indian Pacers
The presence of players like Marizanne Kapp, Shikha Pandey, and Annabel Sutherland gives real strength and experience to the pace-bowling unit of the team. But again, the lack of Indian names in the section looks concerning.
The two Indian pacers that they have are Titas Sadhu and Arundhati Reddy. Reddy looks like an excellent name to bank on. But with Sadhu, the throw of the dice might go either way. She has a lot of talent, but the lack of experience might concern the management.
The Capitals will depend a lot on Shikha Pandey as their prime Indian pacer, and an injury or her being off-colour will get the team in trouble.
Opportunity for Delhi Capitals in WPL 2024
Better their performance from the last season
The Capitals were on a roll in the first edition of the WPL. They topped the table and earned a direct qualification to the final of the tournament. But that is where their dream run ended. They lost the final to Mumbai Indians and fell short of winning the trophy. In this edition, Meg Lanning and her girls will aim to go one better and win their maiden title.
Threats for Delhi Capitals in WPL 2024
Lack of experience in the lower middle-order
The Capitals have invested quite a bit in securing the services of Indian batters for this edition. But none of the names included in the squad are experienced and reputed enough. So, in challenging cases, this might be a threat to the team. However, that being said, it will act as an opportunity for the new names to showcase their talents and establish themselves as the future of Indian cricket.
SWOT Analysis of Delhi Capitals for WPL 2024 (Source: OneCricket)
Players to Watch Out for
Meg Lanning - The former Aussie superstar was the highest run-scorer in the last edition. Barring her batting skills, Lanning will be the one to watch out for because of her leadership skills.
Annabel Sutherland - The young Aussie all-rounder will walk into the tournament will brilliant batting form with her. Sutherland has the ability to change the game with both her trades. She will play a prime role in the Capitals' run in the tournament.
Titas Sadhu - You speak of raw talent, you speak of Titas Sadhu. She has proved her worth in a couple of big matches. As said earlier, she lacks a bit of experience and that can go either way but Sadhu will definitely be a talent to keep an eye on.
Evaluation of the Delhi Capitals Squad for WPL 2024
Batting
Experience - 7.5/10
Depth - 6.5/10
Power - 8/10
Finishing - 6.5/10
Rating - 7.1/10
Bowling
Experience - 7.5/10
Powerplay Potential - 8/10
Middle-overs Potential - 7.5/10
Death-overs Potential - 6.5/10
Rating - 7.3/10
Overall Team Rating - 7.2/10
Prediction for Delhi Capitals in the WPL 2024
Keeping in mind that the tournament will be played in Banglaore and Delhi and also looking at the team composition, there are chances that the Capitals will once again make it to the summit clash of the tournament. With Lanning leading the girls, it won't be surprising if they manage to win the title.
 "Probuddha Bhattacharjee")
