The Women's Premier League, a women's franchise Twenty20 cricket league started by the Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) in India has completed its matches declaring team Mumbai Indians as the maiden champions.
The tournament was the first-ever women-centered league match inaugurated in India where five distinctive teams competed in the tournament, which took place from March 4 to March 26, 2023.
The winning team received prize money of 6 crores along with other top players.
The inaugural season of Tata WPL ended with a great list of players and teams which provided many special moments to watch and look out for their audiences. The 22 matches tournament has been played in two different stadiums namely, DY Patil Stadium, Mumbai, and Brabourne Stadium, CCI. There was a huge crowd of the audience at the stadiums between 9,000 to 13,000 on average, with some matches exceeding 30,000. One women's day 8 March every audience was provided a free entry to commemorate Women's Day. The final match between Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians on Sunday 26 March was a sellout.
Every team and player of the tournament has shown their best form and performance with the bat and ball on the field. Let's have a look at some of the best performances and performers during the match:
Winners of WPL: Mumbai Indians
The Indian Women's National Cricket Captain served as the skipper of the winning team of Tata WPL, Mumbai Indians. The team in blue showed their best talents during the tournament. They have secured the position at top of the points table in the first half of the league. However, due to a loss of two matches, they fell to the second position. The final match of the tournament was the most crucial as table toppers Delhi Capitals who had skipper Meg Lanning, the Orange Cap holder competed with Mumbai Indians. Both the best teams fought for the championship title. Team Mumbai Indians showcased their exemplary gameplay and thrashed Delhi Capitals by 7 wickets.
First Finalists of WPL: Delhi Capitals
Delhi Capitals gave great competition to every team during the tournament, they won 6 matches with an NRR of +1.856. The table toppers provided some of the best moments during the match. The most number of runs by a player, great catch-outs, and fielding made them stand out in the league. For their efforts, Delhi Capitals was given 3 crores as prize money.
Player of the Tournament: Hayley Matthews
The players of Mumbai Indians were at their peak during the match. They grabbed many titles and prize money over the tournament. Purple queen, Hayley Matthews also clinched the title of 'Player of the Tournament'. She has been given a splendid all-rounder performance. The most valuable player has scored 248 points, 271 runs, and the highest 16 wickets so far.
Orange Cap Holder: Meg Lanning
The Aussie player Meg Lanning grabbed the title of Orange Cap in Tata WPL 2023. The skipper of the first finalist team and table toppers Delhi Capitals was the most consistent performer during the match. She secured the highest 345 runs during the tournament and registered her name at the top player's list.
Emerging Player: Yastika Bhatia
The MI player Yastika Bhatia is an Indian-origin female cricketer who plays for the Indian women's cricket team. The all-rounder player has been presented with the title of 'Emerging Player of the season' in WPL. The young promising wicketkeeper-batter shined bright in the victorious season. She scored 214 runs at a strike rate of 112.04.
