In a stunning display of cricket, Delhi Capitals Women secured a commanding 9-wicket win against UP Warriorz Women in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2024, showcasing their dominance in the early stages of the tournament. The match, held at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, saw the Capitals chase down a modest target set by the Warriorz with 33 balls to spare, thanks to the explosive opening partnership between Shafali Verma and Meg Lanning.
Marizanne Kapp Sets the Tone for Delhi
The match belonged to Marizanne Kapp from the get-go as she wreaked havoc on the UP Warriorz batting lineup. With conditions favoring movement, Kapp immediately troubled openers Vrinda Ganesh and Alyssa Healy. In her second over, Kapp induced Vrinda to edge a catch to third man and Healy to sky one to wide mid-off. Sandwiched between these wickets, she bowled Tahlia McGrath with a beautiful outswinger. Concluding her spell by the seventh over with figures of 4-1-5-3, she left UPW struggling at 24 for 3.
Delhi Capitals struggled in the field, missing two opportunities to catch Shweta Sehrawat. Despite a shaky start, Sehrawat managed to find her rhythm, hitting some impressive shots including a powerful six off Minnu Mani over long-on. However, she lacked support from her teammates as Radha Yadav consistently took wickets, claiming one in each of her four overs.
Radha Yadav’s Spin Web
The turning point came in the 10th over when Grace Harris was caught at short third after a top edge, scoring 17 off 18 balls. Kiran Navgire, who had shown promise with a six, was dismissed trying for another big shot but ended up giving Radha an easy catch.
Sehrawat and Poonam Khemnar attacked Shikha Pandey in the 14th over, scoring 15 runs, but Khemnar was soon out, caught at short fine leg. Sehrawat’s innings ended at 45, stumped off a wide delivery by Radha. Contributions from Deepti Sharma and Sophie Ecclestone were minimal, leaving Delhi Capitals with a run-a-ball requirement in their chase. UPW finished their innings at 119 for 9, with Radha Yadav returning impressive figures of 4-20.
Verma and Lanning’s Opening Stand Seals the Deal
The chase was straightforward for Delhi Capitals, with Shafali Verma and Meg Lanning both hitting fifties. Despite Meg Lanning’s early struggles, including being dropped once and edging past the stumps, Shafali Verma’s aggressive batting ensured her captain faced no undue pressure.
With the scoring rate manageable, Shafali adopted a patient approach, capitalizing on loose deliveries without taking excessive risks. Despite UPW’s rotation of bowlers, they struggled to make breakthroughs. DC steadily found boundaries, averaging one per over, and by the end of the powerplay, they had amassed 57 runs. Verma particularly targeted Tahlia McGrath, exploiting UPW’s sole seam-bowling option to score 14 runs off the last over of the powerplay.
Warriorz miss opportunities as Delhi Capitals’ Register a Statement Win
Shafali Verma received a lifeline in the 11th over when Alyssa Healy missed a stumping opportunity while she was batting on 48. In the subsequent over, Verma was dropped again, this time by Kiran Navgire, also on 48. Verma reached her half-century and propelled the team’s total to 100 by smashing Deepti Sharma for a six over deep mid-wicket.
Despite the chance to chase down the total quickly, Verma blocked a few deliveries to ensure Meg Lanning could reach her fifty. Lanning achieved the milestone and leveled the scores, but her attempt to pull the next delivery through square leg resulted in her dismissal, with Vrinda Dinesh taking a fine catch. Jemimah Rodrigues swept the first ball of her innings for a boundary, eventually guiding Delhi Capitals to victory.
UP Warriorz now lost both of the games they played while Delhi Capitals lost their first game on the last ball and registered a commanding victory over Warriorz.
Also Read: https://goworldwide.co.in/asha-shobana-stars-as-rcb-win-a-thriller/