WPL: On International Women’s Day, Shafali wants more girls in the stands

The last time Indian women’s cricket team played a big game on International Women’s Day (8 March) was during the 2020 T20 World Cup final in Australia at Melbourne. The occasion resonated with all the members despite a defeat and Shafali Verma, the young hot shot batter of Delhi Capitals, urged the home crowd to turn up in good numbers in their Women’s Premier League (WPL) game against UP Warriorz at the Arjun Jaitley Stadium this evening.

‘’I think the last time I played a game on International Women's Day was during the T20 World Cup final in Australia. The stadium was packed and I hope tomorrow as well, many people turn up, especially girls. We will aim to play well and women feel inspired by us and excel in their respective fields,’’ she said.

With four wins and a loss in five matches so far, Capitals are currently at the top of the WPL 2024 points table. Shafali, who scored a quickfire 28 off 12 balls in her team’s 29-run win over Mumbai Indians in the previous outing, was thrilled about the experience of playing the maiden WPL match at home ground.

‘’I began my journey from here, my U16 domestic career started at this ground. When I looked around, all my childhood memories came alive. It was a big moment for me and an amazing experience playing here after six years,’’ Shafali was quoted by her team website as saying.

‘’Despite the weekday, the crowd turned up in large numbers. It’s a really big thing for us. I hope it continues the same way and they keep supporting and motivating us,’’ she added.

As the home side aims to complete the double over UP Warriorz (they had won the first leg game by a whopping nine-wicket margin), the 20-year-old batter said: ‘’We have been executing our plans as a team and as an individual and that is what helping us win matches. The focus will remain the same, if we execute our plans, keep things simple and have that self-belief, we will win again.’’

After slipping to a narrow loss against holders Mumbai in the opener, Delhi Capitals had been on a winning run so far with their key batters like skipper Meg Lanning, Jemimah Rodrigues and Shafali among the runs and the overseas allrounders keeping the rivals on a leash.