WPL 2025 final: Delhi Capitals Women vs Mumbai Indians Women; teams, stream

Al Jazeera

14-03-2025

Who: Delhi Capitals Women vs Mumbai Indians Women
What: Women's Premier League (WPL) final 2025
Where: Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai, India.
When: Saturday, March 15 at 8pm (14:00 GMT)
Delhi Capitals Women will hope to end their woes in the WPL final as they face Mumbai Indians Women for the 2025 crown in Mumbai on Saturday.
It's the third consecutive final that Delhi have reached, but they are yet to lift the trophy, and they now face the team that beat them in the inaugural final in 2023, Mumbai Indians.
Al Jazeera takes a look at the final of the third edition of the tournament.
How did the teams reach the WPL final?
Delhi Capitals topped the group stage from Mumbai Indians, who lost their final match – and with it, the top spot – in an 11-run defeat by Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Monday.
The result forced Mumbai into an eliminator with third-placed Gujarat Giants on Thursday.
A resounding 47-run victory was recorded as Hayley Matthews smashed 77 in a total of 213-4.
Who are the previous WPL winners?
Mumbai Indians beat Delhi by seven wickets in the final of the first edition of the WPL in 2023.
Royal Challengers Bangalore were crowned champions with an eight-wicket win last season.
Can Delhi Capitals end their final jinx?
Former Australia captain Meg Lanning has led Delhi since the formation of the WPL and vice captain at the Capitals believes her skipper's winning mentality and unwavering optimism are instrumental
'Meg is someone who wants to win every game. But, at the same time, she has the amount of clarity in what she's looking for. Winning is one thing that she tells us, but she also tells us to focus on what we need to do,' India batter Jemimah Rodrigues said of the seven-time World Cup winner.
'She has clarity in what she wants to do and what she wants this team to do and makes sure she takes everyone along in doing that thing. I think that helps us be a successful team.
'The thing I love about Meg, and this is something that I would like to add in myself … is that she's calm but aggressive at the same time. And as a leader, that's a very crucial quality to have.'
Who are the WPL's leading run scorers?
Nat Sciver (Brunt Mumbai Indians) – 416
Ellyse Perry (Royal Challengers Bengaluru) – 372
Shafali Verma (Delhi Capitals) – 300
Meg Lanning (Delhi Capitals) – 263
Who are the WPL's leading wicket-takers?
Amelia Kerr (Mumbai Indians) – 14
Hayley Matthews (Mumbai Indians) – 14
Georgia Wareham (Royal Challengers Bangalore) – 12
What is the secret to Delhi Capitals' consistency?
Rodrigues has credited the team's professionalism and unity for their consistency, especially during the current season which she described as the most challenging ever.
'Every player adds so much value to the team that they just know their stuff,' she said.
'I think out of all the three seasons, we are most proud of this year, because it wasn't easy, but we found a way to pick ourselves up and still come at the top.'
What are Mumbai's chances of overcoming Delhi?
Delhi may have topped the group this year but Mumbai already have one WPL title under their belt – and Delhi carry their losing streak in the finals with them into Saturday's game.
'We have a really good balance of international players as well as the local Indian players, too,' Matthews said as she analysed the Mumbai squad.
'We get contributions from so many different participants in the team like Nat [Sciver-Brunt], Melie [Amelia Kerr], Shab [Shabnim Ismail], myself, being able to step up as internationals.
'When you look at a captain like Harmanpreet [Kaur], even the young players, like Sanskriti Gupta that have come in this year, have been able to make massive impacts.'
How did the WPL reach its final in Mumbai?
The tournament has been on a road trip across India with the opening six games staged in Vadodara, before eight were played in Bengaluru.
Lucknow and Mumbai concluded the 20-match group stage.
Thursday's eliminator was also played in Mumbai.
Are impact players allowed in the WPL?
Unlike the Indian Premier League (IPL), the WPL does not allow for a substitute player to be brought into the team during the match to make an impact.
Delhi's Rodrigues hopes this remains the case. 'I am not a massive fan of the impact player [rule] because I am someone who loves the rules we already have,' she said.
'It's unfair to the bowlers also sometimes when they have bowled so well and have done so much and then towards the end, a proper batter is coming in.'
Has the WPL been a success?
According to West Indies white-ball captain and Mumbai all-rounder Hayley Matthews, Twenty20 leagues have transformed women's cricket from a sport that once relied on public support for survival into an appealing spectacle.
The 26-year-old, who shot to fame in the West Indies' 2016 T20 World Cup triumph, said T20 leagues like the WPL have fostered global exposure and helped develop the women's game.
'I feel like once upon a time, women's cricket was probably like, 'Come and watch the game to support the women,' whereas now I feel like we have a product that's entertaining and we have these skills that people want to see us play cricket,' Matthews told Reuters.
'Just getting the opportunity to play these leagues and have all the games televised and have people watching and supporting is naturally going to help the game to grow.
'There's plenty of opportunities for women to grow in cricket and I think competitions like the WPL give a platform for the game to grow. It introduces people to the game … shows the level of skill that we have in women's cricket.'