Bengaluru: Delhi Capitals Meg Lanning is banking on her former Australian teammate Annabel Sutherland’s excellence in multiple roles and her ability to execute under pressure in the upcoming Women’s Premier League (WPL) that starts on Friday. Finalists in the inaugural season last year, Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians will play the opening encounter at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. The match starts at 7:30 PM IST.
One of the strongest teams on paper, Delhi Capitals, under Lanning, finished on top of the points table in WPL 2023, with six wins out of eight games. However, they lost when it mattered, surrendering in front of Mumbai Indians in the final.
Lanning, who retired from international cricket last year, heaped high praise for Sutherland. “She has really matured as a player in the last 12 months. She can play multiple roles for us depending on the game situation. She can finish the innings off with the bat. Moreover, one of the biggest improvements in her game has been her bowling and her ability to execute under pressure,” Lanning said.
Speaking ahead of the match, the skipper said, “Our preparations have been great. We’ve had a bit more time to get together as a squad this year. We’ve had some camps throughout the year as well, which has helped the players to improve.”
When asked about her own preparations for the tournament, Lanning said, “I’ve been looking forward to this tournament for a while. It was great to be a part of this tournament last season. I’ve been playing some cricket in Australia. I am coming into this tournament with confidence and looking forward to helping the Delhi Capitals win as many games as possible.”
In her whole career, Lanning hasn’t played in Bengaluru. “I have not been to Bengaluru before so it’s been nice to experience a new city. The girls and I have thoroughly enjoyed being here so far. The people of the city love their cricket and support the game extremely well. It’s great that the WPL is moving to different cities and exposing the game to different fans,” she concluded.
