WPL 2025: Meg Lanning and the normalcy of another do-or-die clash 

One of the certainties in the women’s game over the last decade has been Meg Lanning featuring in a final. 

The Australian has featured in 14 finals so far and has won nine of them, seven of which have been World Cups. 

Five of those World triumphs for the Aussies have come under her captaincy – four T20 titles (2014, 2018, 2020 and 2023), and one ODI crown (2022). There’s a Commonwealth Games gold medal on the pile too. 

Her fortunes in franchise cricket, however, have not been the same.

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When the Melbourne Stars made the final in the sixth edition (2020) of the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL), Lanning had a chance to ‘complete cricket.’ 

However, Sydney Thunder stood in the way. A lethal Shabnim Ismail removed openers Elyse Villani and Lanning and helped restrict the Stars to 86/9 in 20 overs. Skipper Rachel Haynes then carried the side to the title.

File | Meg Lanning of the Stars looks dejected after being dismissed by Shabnim Ismail of the Thunder during the Women’s Big Bash League Final between the Melbourne Stars and the Sydney Thunder at North Sydney Oval, on November 28, 2020.
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Lanning has not made a WBBL final since. 

Delhi Capitals acquired her services for the Women’s Premier League (WPL) and predictably made her captain. Such is the incredible, and frankly scary, reputation she has built for herself, not just as a skilled matchwinner with the bat but as a leader as well.  

In a league where the scales have ever so often tipped in favour of batters, Lanning has been at the helm of some mind-blowing defences in the last three seasons.

Final hiccups

Under her leadership, DC has always topped the table and thus secured direct qualification to the final. However, they have fallen short in both attempts to win the crown. 

And there are patterns aplenty. 

Making the summit clash directly meant a break in momentum. In the ongoing edition, there is an eight-day gap between its last league match and the final.

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In the two title clashes they’ve been a part of so far, the Capitals – despite Herculean efforts on the field – could not post totals big enough to help their cause. 

In the 2024 season, DC dominated the league and entered the final as the title favourite.

However, the defeat to eventual champion Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) seemingly broke something in Lanning. 

Known for her poker face and steely demeanour, that final saw a leader– who has always been unfazed by people and circumstance – in tears. 

Lanning stood in the shadows with a towel held to her face, with the tears streaming down. It’s a sight that has stayed with many ever since. 

She finally tasted success in franchise cricket last year with London Spirit in The Hundred, where Lanning played under Heather Knight’s captaincy. 

Up against Welsh Fire, the Australian legend was outsmarted once more by Ismail with the ball searing through her middle stump. A team effort, including a massive six from Deepti Sharma with three balls to go, sealed the deal. 

Heather Knight of London Spirit holds the trophy up after The Hundred Final between London Spirit Women and Welsh Fire Women at Lord’s Cricket Ground.
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The lows

In the middle of all the globe-trotting, Lanning revealed her struggles with mental health, factors she attributed to her shock international retirement in 2023, months after she had won the T20 World Cup in South Africa. 

“I never opened up to people, I was a bit of a closed book. I was always very level. Didn’t go too high or too low. Made it look like everything was fine even when it wasn’t,” she had said then. 

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Today, Lanning is healthier and, at the very least, at peace. But how do you switch off the competitor in you? How do you spend more than a decade ruthlessly hacking down oppositions and barriers and then switch to savouring life the slow, romantic way?

Cricket continues for the ace batter. Lanning has been active in the league ecosystem alongside duties for Victoria in the Women’s National Cricket League – Australia’s domestic 50-over women’s tournament. 

In the ongoing edition of the WPL, Lanning the batter has seemed ‘human’ on several occasions. This has been a relatively quieter season for the 32-year-old. 

In the inaugural edition, she bagged the Orange Cup after plundering 345 runs. The following season, she racked up 331 runs with four 50+ scores. This season, Lanning has managed 263 runs with three fifties to her name. 

This season has exposed a weakness to quality pace bowling. Of her seven dismissals this year, six have been to the quicks.

Harmanpreet Kaur and Meg Lanning have been a part of some legendary duels on the international stage. India and Australia have always kept each other on their toes, as have these two captains. Known for their aggression and their batting prowess, both have affected silent revolutions – one more successfully than the other – in their respective nations.
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It’s not all gloom and doom, though. 

Lanning’s three half centuries – a 49-ball 69 vs UP Warriorz in Vadodara, an unbeaten 49-ball 60 against Mumbai in Bengaluru and a 57-ball 92 against Gujarat Giants in Lucknow – were imposing knocks. 

Lanning’s mastery on the off side, particularly how she cuts the field between cover and gully, has been a sight for sore eyes. Classical cricket shots, the gentle flicks to the boundary and flawless running between the wickets are all part of the Lanning playbook the world has come to savour.

Her resilience found an admirer in Shafali Verma. 

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“She hasn’t practised much in the last two years. She knows that she’s not in touch and understands that she needs to practice which really touched me mentally. I learn a lot from her every day but the biggest lesson is to stay positive during a rough patch,” said Shafali, who is herself working her way back to the Indian team.

The suggestion of her batting mortality tickled Lanning ahead of the 2025 WPL final.  

“This is an incredible tournament and unique in a lot of ways but what hasn’t changed for me is how competitive I am and how much I want to win,” she said on matchday eve. 

Lanning and Shafali have registered three 100-run stands for the Delhi Capitals.
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MURALI KUMAR K / The Hindu

“That has never left me, regardless of what game I am playing or which team I am playing for. This year has been a little bit up and down but I think that’s T20 cricket for you. Some days it works, some days it doesn’t. The important part of T20 cricket is that we need to impact the game we’re playing next. I am confident I am going to want to win and help the team when I am playing next,” she added. 

Points of reference

Lanning is no Brabourne rookie. In the four games she has played at this venue in the 2023 edition, she registered 164 runs with a 43-ball 72 against RCB being her highest score. 

In Australian colours, her last of seven matches here was in 2018 in the final of the T20 Triangular Series against England where she scored an unbeaten 88 off 45 balls.

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Lanning stitched a 139-run stand with Villani, striking at a blistering 195.55. She left the likes of Alyssa Healy (SR: 137), Ashleigh Gardner (SR: 165) and Villani (170) far behind. Her blitz powered Australia to 209/4, a total England eventually fell short of by 57 runs.

In Australian colours, her last of seven matches here was in 2018 in the final of the T20 Triangular Series against England where she scored an unbeaten 88 off 45 balls. 
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Vivek Bendre/ The Hindu

Though England made the choice to field in that game, Lanning quite relishes batting first anyway. She chose to bat in both of DC’s finals so far. Used to the number 3 slot back then, Lanning is now one half of the ice-and-fire opening combination with Shafali. Much like then, she has at her disposal one of if not the best fielding sides in the league.

Her tenacity and the superior skill of her teams have allowed Lanning to lift an enviable number of trophies as an international cricketer.

It remains to be seen if that success translates to the Delhi Capitals, on the third try no less.