WPL 2025: Don’t think there is a mental block at all, opines DC coach Batty

Mumbai: For the third straight time, the Delhi Capitals finished as runners-up in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) after losing by eight runs to Mumbai Indians in the 2025 final at the Brabourne Stadium.

Head coach Jonathan Batty stepped up in defence of his team after suffering yet another heartbreak in a title clash despite being league stage table-toppers by brushing aside talks of a mental block within the Meg Lanning-led side.

“The girls have been really positive, I can’t fault them. There has been no negative talk at all like ‘Oh we’ve messed up the last two finals, we’re going to take that baggage into this one’, none of that. I thought they were really positive, really confident. The girls have been fantastic, they trained superbly.

“I don’t think it is a mental block at all. You look at how we performed with the ball and in the field in the first half to keep them to 149 on that wicket. You see what’s happened through the week, with the eliminator and the other games here, we were expecting probably 180 to be par score, so we were really pleased with that.

“The players were up for it, they were fine and I think there was no mental block at all. But it’s just full credit to the opposition, they outplayed us and deserved to win the game. Chasing 150, you expect the batting unit to play positive, aggressive cricket, and you should, nine times out of ten, win that game at a bit of a canter – I think 180 was par on that wicket. Full credit to Mumbai Indians, they never let us get ahead of the run rate,” said Batty.

In the final, the experienced duo of Marizanne Kapp, Jess Jonassen, and young left-arm spinner N Shree Charani bagged two wickets each to restrict MI to 149/7 in 20 overs, though they allowed captain Harmanpreet Kaur making 66.

But in the chase of 150, barring Marizanne’s 40, and Jemimah Rodrigues’ 30, as well as Niki Prasad making 25 not out, none of the DC batters stepped up to the occasion as they eventually made 141/9 in their 20 overs.

Batty further admitted that it will take time for them to see where they went wrong, though he conceded the big final occasion could have got into the players’ minds. “It will take time to think through what went wrong. Two great quality teams going head-to-head and it was such a tight game. Big match finals, maybe the occasion got to the players.”

–IANS