WPL team analysis: Powered top order batters & all-rounders, Delhi Capitals may lose the plot in absence of finishers

Meg Lanning has won all there is to win in international cricket. T20 World Cup. ODI World Cup. Commonwealth Games gold medal. A sum total of five trophies, more than any other captain.
So, it is only fair that Delhi Capitals dream big to win the inaugural Women’s Premier League under her captainship. Let’s assess their chances of doing so.
Strengths:
With the presence of Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues and Meg Lanning in the top order, Delhi have a strong batting core to begin with. Marizanne Kapp further strengthens it and Delhi’s other key strength. The all rounders tally.
Kapp, Shikha Pandey, Jess Jonassen and furthermore the likes of Alice Capsey and Radha Yadav provide a solid bunch of all-round options to the Capitals, with both spin and pace bowling quotas getting fulfilled.
Weakness:
It’s difficult to point out a weakness in the DC squad, given the rich names from international cricket and a whole lot of domestic talent they have acquired in the auction. But if there’s one department that may leave them vulnerable, it is the lower middle batting order.
With big names in the top spots, Delhi are missing a proven big hitter lower down the order, piling additional pressure on their top order to construct the innings. If the opposition pick early wickets, the Capitals may find it hard to recover the innings.
Opportunities:
Delhi are the only among the five franchises to have bought an associate nation player. Tara Norris of the USA.
Per the guidelines of the league, they can play Norris as a fifth overseas player in the lineup apart from the four usual, giving them an additional option in the 6+5 combination rather than the 7+4, which applies to the four other franchises. Norris has featured in different franchise competitions around the world and it would be interesting to see how Delhi go about this unique opportunity.

Naya Savera. Nayi Shuruaat. Naya Safar. Nayi Dilli. ❤️💙#TATAWPL #CapitalsUniverse #YehHaiNayiDilli pic.twitter.com/UgcPXDgZ4T
— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) March 5, 2023
Threats:
In a congested tournament, with teams having to play two games in two days, Delhi’s top order will have to acclimatize quickly to the conditions and score big if they are to go all the way in the tournament.
The likes of Meg Lanning and Jemimah Rodrigues have shown they can see off the innings as well as they hold it in the middle.
If Delhi lose the plot early in the game, the absence of big strike rate batters in the lower middle order can come back to haunt them.

🗣️: We’ve been waiting for #TATAWPL and it’s exciting that it’s finally here 😍
🎥 | Legends of the game, Meg Lanning and Marizanne Kapp, sum up our excitement ahead of #RCBvDC!#YehHaiNayiDilli #CapitalsUniverse pic.twitter.com/6AKlQaxJIZ
— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) March 4, 2023
WPL 2023 Delhi Capitals Full Squad: Meg Lanning, Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Marizanne Kapp, Alice Capsey, Shikha Pandey, Jess Jonassen, Laura Harris, Radha Yadav, Arundhati Reddy, Minnu Mani, Poonam Yadav, Sneha Deepthi, Taniyaa Bhatia, Titas Sadhu, Jasia Akhter, Aparna Mondal, Tara Norris

WPL 2023 Delhi Capitals Predicted XI: Shafali Verma, Meg Lanning, Marizanne Kapp, Jemimah Rodrigues, Alice Capsey, Taniya Bhatia, Shikha Pandey, Radha Yadav, Poonam Yadav, Titas Sadhu, Jess Jonassen