WPL 2023: Rating captains of all five teams

The inaugural season of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2023 came to a fantastic conclusion after the Harmanpreet Kaur-led Mumbai Indians clinched the coveted WPL title as they defeated Delhi Capitals in the summit clash of the competition. As the competition was a massive success for Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals, the same was arguably not the case for Gujarat Giants, UP Warriorz, and Royal Challengers Bangalore. Mumbai and Delhi took each other on in the final of the competition, whereas Gujarat, Royal Challengers, and Warriorz were eliminated from the group stages and the Eliminator. The captains from the various franchises, as always, had a huge role to play in their team's endeavours. While Harmanpreet Kaur and Meg Lanning enjoyed a dream run, Smriti Mandhana and Sneh Rana found themselves on the opposite end of the spectrum. Following the conclusion of the competition, let us analyse how all the captains fared throughout the tournament. 5. Sneh Rana (6/10) (Gujarat Giants) Sneh Rana. (Photo Source: Jio Cinema) Gujarat Giants had the worst start to the inaugural WPL season as skipper Beth Mooney got injured in the very first game of the tournament, which saw Sneh Rana take up the mantle in the Australian star’s absence. Mooney’s absence came to haunt Gujarat, as they lost the season opener to Mumbai Indians as things went off the rails from the very start. Newly appointed skipper Sneh Rana was unable to register a win in the team’s second game as well. They won their first game of the competition against Royal Challengers Bangalore and it was their third game. Under Rana’s leadership, Gujarat Giants finished last on the WPL points table with four points in eight matches. The side only won two matches in the tournament as Rana struggled to propel the side into the playoffs following Mooney’s injury. 4. Smriti Mandhana (6.5/10) (Royal Challengers Bangalore) Smriti Mandhana. (Photo Source: Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images) Royal Challengers Bangalore had a season to forget as well at the WPL 2023. The franchise appointed ace India batter Smriti Mandhana as their skipper for the tournament. The team also went on a horrible run in the competition, losing their first five matches. They won their first game of the tournament against the Alyssa Healy-led UP Warriorz but in the end, it was all in vain as they too were unable to make it to the playoffs of the competition. In the end, RCB finished fourth on the WPL standings with four points in eight matches. However, despite being level on points with Gujarat Giants, RCB moved ahead in the standings due to their better net run rate. Mandhana herself struggled with the willow and couldn't lead from the front. She wasn't tactically brilliant during most of the games and hence Bangalore ended up with such a horrendous season. 3. Alyssa Healy (7.5/10) (UP Warriorz) Alyssa Healy. (Photo Source: Twitter/WPL) Alyssa Healy’s campaign as the skipper of UP Warriorz was topsy-turvy. Healy did perform with the bat during the tournament; she finished the tournament as the seventh-highest run-getter with 253 runs to her name in nine matches. Under Healy’s leadership, UP Warriorz won four matches and lost just as many in the group stage of the competition. They finished third on the ladder with eight points in eight games. UP Warriorz took on Mumbai Indians in the playoffs of the competition and lost to the eventual champions. In the high-pressure game, Healy was unable to put out her best performance, and UP Warriorz were eliminated from the tournament after losing the Eliminator. 2. Meg Lanning (9/10) (Delhi Capitals) Meg Lanning. (Photo Source: Twitter/WPL) Being highly successful for Australia, all eyes were on Meg Lanning as she took on the mantle of captaincy for Delhi Capitals. As expected, Delhi were fabulous throughout the tournament, as they only lost two matches in the group stages. Meg Lanning was sensational for the side, as she finished the tournament as the orange cap holder with 345 runs to her name in nine matches. Delhi Capitals topped the group stages of the competition with 12 points in eight games as they made their way directly into the summit clash. However, Lanning fell to Harmanpreet in the final, as Mumbai Indians won to clinch the coveted WPL title. 1. Harmanpreet Kaur (9.5/10) (Mumbai Indians) Harmanpreet Kaur (Photo Source; Twitter) Undoubtedly the best captain of the inaugural WPL, Harmanpreet Kaur led Mumbai Indians to title victory after the side’s fabulous performances throughout the tournament. Apart from being an excellent skipper, Harmanpreet also finished as the fourth-highest run-getter of the competition with 281 runs in 10 matches. As the tournament kicked off, MI went on a winning run, winning their first five matches of the tournament in fabulous fashion. However, despite performing at the top of their game, Mumbai barely missed out on direct qualification for the final of the tournament as they finished with 12 points in eight games. After Mumbai defeated UP Warriorz in the playoff game, Harmanpreet Kaur had a mountain to climb as she once again took on Meg Lanning in a crucial game. Despite her poor record against Lanning, she defied all odds as Mumbai Indians won the summit clash of the inaugural WPL in a thrilling final. For a better experience: Download the CricTracker app from the IOS App Store and Google Play Store

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WPL 2023: Rating captains of all five teams

Mumbai Indians won the inaugural season of the WPL after defeating Delhi Capitals in the summit clash

3. Alyssa Healy (7.5/10) (UP Warriorz)

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