‘I was waiting for such a moment for a long time’: Harmanpreet Kaur

Mumbai Indians skipper Harmanpreet Kaur kisses the Womens Premier League 2023 trophy in celebration as Mumbai Indians won the Final match by 7 wickets against Delhi Capitals, at Brabourne Stadium, in Mumbai.
| Photo Credit: ANI

It was a bit like the Lionel Messi moment. Harmanpreet Kaur looked happily at the shining trophy beside her.

She was smiling most of the time as she addressed the media after finally winning a major trophy — the WPL.

“I was waiting for such a moment for a long time,” she said a little after leading Mumbai Indians to the title in the inaugural edition of the WPL. “As a captain I am winning something which is so important for women’s cricket.”

What did she feel when Shikha Pandey and Radha Yadav staged that stunning rearguard act for Delhi Capitals with their 52-run stand off 24 balls for the unfinished last wicket?

“I actually was very happy with the way they were batting,” Ms. Harmanpreet said, smiling. “I have always Radha to hit sixes and not take singles. She should leave that job to the others. I was happy when she hit those sixes at the end. Even after the match I spoke to her and said I wanted to see the same batting when she joined the Indian team.”

She also praised Ms. Shikha, who wasn’t part of the Indian team at the recent T20 World Cup in South Africa but has had an excellent WPL. “Shikha was bowling brilliantly throughout the tournament,” she said. “(In this match) when the team needed runs, she took some time and then executed (her plan) brilliantly. I want them to play like this when they play for India.”

That was the Indian captain speaking, not the Mumbai Indians captain.