"The Orange Cap can stay on her head for a long time" - Parthiv Patel lauds Meg Lanning's knock in Delhi Capitals' WPL 2023 win against UP Warriorz

Parthiv Patel feels Meg Lanning could hold on to the Orange Cap for a long time if she remains as consistent as she has been in the Women's Premier League (WPL) 2023 thus far.

Lanning smashed a 42-ball 70 as the Delhi Capitals (DC) set a 212-run target for the UP Warriorz (UPW) at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Tuesday, March 7. The DC bowlers then restricted Alyssa Healy and Co. to 169/5 to complete a comprehensive 42-run win.

During a post-match discussion on Sports18, Parthiv was asked whether Meg Lanning is likely to retain the Orange Cap for long. He replied affirmatively, saying:

"Absolutely, the way she is batting and the form she is carrying. To be consistent is extremely difficult in T20s as it is a format where you need to take risks. If she maintains her consistency, the Orange Cap can stay on her head for a long time."

The former Indian wicketkeeper-batter praised the Delhi Capitals skipper for relying more on timing and playing according to the field settings, elaborating:

"She doesn't get the chance to open when she plays for Australia. She has already scored 142 runs and the way she has scored them is praiseworthy. She doesn't try to hit the ball too hard. You feel that she knows where the fielders are placed on every delivery and she is playing according to that."

Parthiv pointed out that Lanning's innings made the UP Warriorz's thoughtful plans go awry, explaining:

"The UP Warriorz took a big decision to leave Grace Harris out and play Shabnim Ismail just to dismiss Meg Lanning. She used the pace very well. She was definitely slightly lucky at the start as she got a few top edges, but you need that."

The Warriorz replaced Grace Harris with Shabnim Ismail in their playing XI, considering the green surface on offer. However, the move did not yield the desired results as the South African seamer failed to pick up a wicket and conceded 26 runs in the three overs she bowled in the powerplay.

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"She is Delhi's strength" - Reema Malhotra on Meg Lanning

Meg Lanning struck 10 fours and three sixes during her innings.

Reema Malhotra highlighted that Lanning's last two knocks illustrate her importance for the Delhi Capitals as a batter, observing:

"She is Delhi's strength. She is Delhi's star who knows how to win games. We always talk about her captaincy but we came to know how important Meg Lanning the batter is from the last two innings - the shots she played, and the temperament and class she showed."

Lanning scored a 43-ball 72 in the Delhi Capitals' previous game against the Royal Challengers Bangalore. Her 70-run knock on Tuesday helped her surpass Hayley Matthews and become the highest run-scorer in the tournament thus far.