WPL: Batty reflects on DC's heartbreak, says occasion overwhelmed players
What's the story
Delhi Capitals (DC) suffered their third consecutive defeat in the Women's Premier League (WPL) final, losing to Mumbai Indians (MI) on March 15 at the Brabourne Stadium.
Thanks to a brilliant bowling performance by MI, DC fell short by eight runs in their chase of 150.
Head coach Jonathan Batty has dismissed any claims that his players were under pressure due to past losses and stated as per Cricbuzz, "There has been no negative talk at all."
Here's more.
Team spirit
Batty praises players' positive mindset despite final loss
Batty praised his players' positive mindset, saying, "The girls have been really positive, I can't fault them. There has been no negative talk like 'Oh we've messed up the last two finals, we're going to take that baggage into this one,' none of that."
He added that they were confident and praised their training ahead of the final match.
"The girls have been fantastic, they trained superbly," he stated.
Bowling prowess
Batty highlights DC's strong performance with the ball
Batty defended his team's performance saying, "I don't think there is a mental block at all. If you look at the way we performed with the ball, we did a great job to keep them to 149 on that wicket."
He was happy with this score as they expected MI to score around 180 runs.
The DC bowlers made an impressive start taking early wickets and restricting MI during PowerPlay.
Acknowledgment
Batty credits MI's strong defense for DC's defeat
Batty credited MI for their strong defense.
"Maybe the occasion just got to the players but full credit to Mumbai Indians for the way they defended that total. They made it really hard for us and we were never ahead in the chase," he said.
He admitted that despite being in contention throughout the game, his team couldn't secure a victory.
Key players
Batty praises MI's Harmanpreet Kaur and Nat Sciver-Brunt
Batty also praised MI's captain Harmanpreet Kaur and Nat Sciver-Brunt for their contributions to the match.
He said, "With players like Harmanpreet and Nat Sciver-Brunt, a lot of planning went into it."
Despite the loss, he stood by his team's efforts during this crucial phase of the game.
"A lot of planning went into it and I thought we actually kept them calm for a while there, especially Sciver-Brunt," he added.
Match recap
MI beat DC to clinch their second WPL title
Harmanpreet Kaur-led MI defeated Meg Lanning-led DC to secure their second WPL title.
Batting first, MI struggled at 2/14 before Sciver-Brunt and Kaur built an 89-run stand.
Sciver-Brunt fell for 30, but Kaur's brilliant 66 off 44 helped MI post 149/7 in 20 overs.
Defending 150, Sciver-Brunt's 3/30 and Kerr's 2/25 ensured Marizanne Kapp's 40 off 26 and Jemimah Rodrigues's 30 off 21 went in vain as DC were restricted to 141/9.