Crossroads at the final: Verma ascends, Bhatia seeks one last chance

In a World Cup year, two out-of-favour India openers, Shafali Verma and Yastika Bhatia, are vying for a spot in the national team through the WPL route. The WPL 2025 final on Saturday will be their last chance to strengthen their claim.

Verma has been in good form, making runs in the one-day domestic competitions and the WPL. She has a string of 40s and a match-winning hand of 80* in a clinical dismantling of RCB. Her Delhi Capitals' captain, Meg Lanning, has endorsed her, saying she has been excellent and got the team some nice starts with the bat.

On the other hand, Bhatia has struggled with injuries and has only managed 80 runs in nine WPL matches, with a high score of 15. She has been demoted to a middle-orders role and has only recently been brought back to the opening role. Her captain, Harmanpreet Kaur, believes that the red-soil wicket will suit Bhatia well and is giving her one more chance in the final.

The final will be an intriguing matchup, with Verma looking to nail down the headstart she has on Bhatia, and Bhatia seeking to level-up with an impact knock when it really matters.