WPL 2023: Harmanpreet Kaur shares her views on Mumbai Indians' local prospects

Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2023 winning captain Harmanpreet Kaur shared that the Indian players in her squad did not get many chances to showcase their skills as they would have liked to get. However, the Mumbai Indians (MI) became the WPL champions after beating the Delhi Capitals (DC) by seven wickets at the Brabourne Stadium on Sunday, March 26.

However, the bulk of the credit for MI’s win should go to their overseas contingent. The likes of Nat Sciver-Brunt, Hayley Matthews, Amelia Kerr, and Issy Wong played a key role over the course of the campaign. All four names were among the top five wicket-takers in the tournament as well, with West Indies all-rounder Matthews winning the Purple Cap after picking up 16 wickets.

Meanwhile, the all-rounder duo of Sciver-Brunt and Matthews did most of the things during the entire tournament and also found a place among the highest run-getters in the WPL 2023 as well. While giving the credit to the Indian players for stepping up with the fielding despite a lack of opportunity in other departments, Harmanpreet Kaur said during the post-match press conference:

READ MORE: Shikhar Dhawan supports Suryakumar Yadav to get back in form soon

“The Indian players did not get that much of an opportunity, but they always made their presence with the fielding. They knew that even if they did not get an opportunity with the bat or ball, they can make an impact in the fielding department. Amanjot and Jinti, in particular, did not get to do much, but they were just so positive.”

However, Amanjot Kaur played an important role in the final as her stunning throw helped Mumbai Indians dismiss Delhi Capitals captain Meg Lanning in the final. She also grabbed a stunning catch in the second over to remove Alice Capsey for a duck off Issy Wong’s bowling as well.

Harmanpreet Kaur further shared that interacting with overseas players and being part of a franchise setup will only help domestic players move forward. She said:

READ MORE: IPL 2023: Aakash Chopra picks SunRisers Hyderabad’s probable playing XI

“All of them were ready to do anything for the team, when that is the approach and mindset, you always tend to do well and win. The overseas players were constantly in discussion with the domestic players during the net sessions. This was a great opportunity for the domestic players to learn.”

While the domestic players in the Mumbai Indians setup did not have much of an outing, players from other franchises also did well. RCB’s Shreyanka Patil and Kanika Ahuja also made headlines. While talking about that, Harmanpreet Kaur said:

“The domestic players have to work to get used to the pressure associated with this level and keep themselves calm. Otherwise, I do not believe there is a great deal of difference skill-wise, because everyone is working hard and they are doing well when it comes to fitness as well.”