New Delhi: Mumbai Indians won the first-ever edition of the Women’s Premier League and it had been an emotional ride for the MI Paltan. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who has seen many defeats in the knockouts of the ICC tournaments, finally has her hands on a world-class trophy. Nat Sciver-Brunt scored the match-winning fifty after Issy Wong and Hayley Matthews picked three wickets each to restrict DC to 131.
“We have become a family.”
This one’s for life. ?#OneFamily #MumbaiIndians #AaliRe #WPL2023 #ForTheW pic.twitter.com/WNNZ87KBtH
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) March 27, 2023
Here is how the players and the support staff reacted to the historic win:
Harmanpreet Kaur: The captain was happy and emotional and said that winning WPL felt like a dream for the teammates and the crowd. Kaur said that she has been waiting for this moment for a ‘long, long time’, and finally now she knows how one feels after winning a trophy. She also mentioned staying positive and expressing yourself on the field and also thanked the support staff for their contributions.
Nat Sciver-Brunt: Player of the Match in the finals said that it was a special knock for her. She credited Harmanpreet Kaur for hitting the sweeps and taking pressure off her. She said that she knew if she would be there till the end, they would be able to chase the total. On winning the title, Sciver-Brunt said, “It means everything.”
Tonight’s gonna be a good good night ??#OneFamily #MumbaiIndians #AaliRe #WPL2023 #DCvMI #WPLFinal #ForTheW pic.twitter.com/qdN5Y7KYrA
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) March 26, 2023
Saika Ishaque: MI’s golden girl Ishaque said that she cannot explain her happiness as her dream came true. On her performance in the finals, she said that when plans A and B did not work, she went for plan C, which was to bowl dot balls. Jokingly, she added that Issy Wong’s plan was to bowl full tosses. With 15 wickets in 10 games, she has opened the doors for entering the Indian side.
Hayley Matthews: The purple cap holder with 16 wickets called the win “crazy”. She said that creating history by winning the first WPL means a lot to her. She expressed her happiness to contribute in the team’s win.
Yastika Bhatia: The Emerging Player Award winner Yastika Bhatia said that she is ‘very, very happy and proud of her team’ and she cannot put it into words. She added that the teams was pretty relaxed a day before the finals and they just tried to focus on the small things to execute.
Captured in this image: The Emerging Player of the Season with our hearts and the ?
??@YastikaBhatia | #OneFamily #MumbaiIndians #AaliRe #WPL2023 #ForTheW pic.twitter.com/4tqLdnvJZt
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) March 27, 2023
Charlotte Edwards: Head coach said that she is “over the moon” and the win will go down in her greatest cricket moments of all time. She said that they gave the players a rest day before the game and kept the training relaxed on the match-day. She added that Harmapreet has been an outstanding captain and she is pleased for her.
“It’s been one of the greatest moments of my cricketing career.” – Charlotte Edwards
? Lottie, Nat and Melie on the amazing WPL ? journey!@C_Edwards23 @natsciver @meliekerr10 | #OneFamily #MumbaiIndians #AaliRe #WPL2023 #ForTheW pic.twitter.com/pKBGePEJlj
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) March 27, 2023
Jhulan Goswami: MI’s mentor and bowling coach, about getting wickets off full tosses, said that one cannot plan such things and the credit goes to bowlers. She also thanked Edwards for leading the team and was happy that her first assignemnet as coach went well. On Harman finally lifting a trophy, Jhulan said that she has gone through these situations and she had asked her to cross that hurdle this time. She complimented the captain and said that she handled the team in an amazing style and never said that she was tired.