Shafali Verma is bringing bigger crowds to women's cricket: Saba Karim

Delhi Capitals booked their berth in the WPL 2024 final with a seven-wicket win over the Gujarat Giants, at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Wednesday. Batting first, the Giants scored 126 runs which Capitals surpassed with 41 deliveries to spare. JioCinema and Sports18 WPL experts Saba Karim, Reema Malhotra, and Sushma Verma discussed the sensational performance by Shafali Verma (71 runs) and the overall performance of Capitals on ‘Match Centre Live’. Excerpts:

Saba Karim spoke on Shafali Verma – “Fearless yet calculated. Brutal power, yet so subtle. I think that's a deadly mix to have, and you can see that in Shafali Verma. She's so young. For her to bat in this manner is unbelievable. That's why she's bringing bigger crowds to women's cricket. This kind of display of power and on top of that, the talent that she has shown in this innings, this was waiting to happen. It was one of her best knocks in the WPL. She's already got three 50s this season, but I think a big one is coming in the final, that's what she's hoping for as well."

Sushma Verma spoke on Shafali Verma - "I hope that Shafali keeps batting the way she does. Earlier in the tournament, she was starting well during the powerplays, but she was unable to finish those innings. I think she played that role well tonight. Since Delhi was in a comfortable position, this was the perfect opportunity for many players to express themselves and bring back their confidence. There are always tests and trials for an individual player. Shafali was doing impressive power-hitting with the five long sixes she hit. I was waiting for a sixth six as well, but she didn't get the elevation she needed in the delivery that got her out, but she had done her job by then."

Reema Malhotra spoke on the overall strength of DC - "One or two players can only win one or two matches. But when you play as a team, you reach the tournament finals. The special thing about the Delhi Capitals is that they have a number of players in form right now, they have a bunch of match-winners... I think this team is ready. They've already qualified for the final and Meg Lanning's captaincy has had a significant role in this because of the way she manoeuvres the team and the way she uses her resources. Everyone has good teams but to keep them united on the field, to develop the team atmosphere, and to execute your plans, you need a good captain and Delhi Capitals have that in Meg Lanning."