In the 10th match of the Women’s Premier League 2024, the Gujarat Giants suffered their third loss of the season while chasing, falling short by 25 runs against the Delhi Capitals. This victory propelled the Delhi Capitals to the top of the league standings, marking their second win in a row, both achieved while setting a target. On the other hand, the Giants are still in search of their inaugural win this season.
For once, Beth Mooney won the toss and chose to chase, however, the game didn’t unfold as expected. A series of fielding errors allowed the Meg Lanning-led Delhi Capitals to set a target of 163/8. While it was a reachable score, it posed a significant challenge for a team still searching for its first win of the season. The Gujarat Giants struggled with too many dot balls, ultimately failing to reach their target. Jess Jonassen and Radha Yadav were pivotal for the Capitals, taking six wickets between them and contributing to the Giants’ shortfall.
Meg Lanning Guides Delhi Capitals
Meg Lanning played a crucial role as the anchor for the Delhi Capitals, scoring 55 runs off 41 deliveries. She managed to hold one end up for her team during what can be a challenging first innings at the venue. Lanning’s innings included 6 fours and a six, guiding her team through the initial phases despite the early dismissals of Shafali Verma and Alice Capsey (27 off 17) to Meghna Singh’s bowling.
Lanning’s Luck and Departure
Lanning didn’t look at her best at struggled to time the ball at times. She even got lucky with the Giants’ poor fielding who dropped her once and gave away some easy boundaries. Lanning’s innings came to an end in the 13th over when she was caught out at point, giving Meghna her third wicket of the night. By that point, the Delhi Capitals were comfortably positioned at 105/3.
Meghna Singh’s 4-fer and Useful Contributions for the Capitals
After Meg Lanning’s departure, Annabel Sutherland played a brisk innings, scoring a quickfire 20 runs off just 12 deliveries. Additionally, Shikha Pandey’s unbeaten 14 off 8 balls in the final few overs helped propel the Delhi Capitals’ total beyond the 150-run mark. This solid contribution from the lower order ensured that the Capitals posted a challenging target for the Gujarat Giants.
Having never surpassed 142 runs in the tournament thus far and facing a chase for the first time in this edition, the Giants certainly had their work cut out for them. Meghna Singh was the pick of the bowlers for the Gujarat Giants with figures 4-37. She could have registered the first fifer by an Indian pacer had Mannat Kashyap held onto a catch in the final over.
Gujarat Giants’ Fielding Woes
It was a day of fielding lapses for Beth Mooney’s Gujarat Giants, allowing the Delhi Capitals to reach a competitive total, which has been the average score while batting first at this venue in this edition of the tournament. The fielding woes began early in the innings, with Tanuja Kanwar dropping a return chance off Shafali Verma in the very first over, after already conceding a boundary and a six.
Costly Drops of Lanning and Jonassen
However, the most costly drop came when Meg Lanning, who eventually top-scored for the Capitals, was put down by Phoebe Litchfield at mid-off when she was on just 30. Later on, Jess Jonassen was also given a reprieve on 2, dropped by Dayalan Hemalatha at deep mid-wicket. Shikha Pandey too was dropped in the final over but it didn’t hurt the Giants much.
Fielding Errors Costly for the Gujarat Giants
Not only the dropped catches the Giants had a very poor day in stopping the ball too, their misfields gave away easy singles and boundaries. Probably the best fielder in their team Ash Gardner was the culprit for several misfields. Gardner even lost her mojo with the ball due to the fielding lapses and bowled some gimme deliveries.
You can understand the day Gujarat had on the field when Skipper Mooney and Gardner couldn’t help but smile in relief when the Giants fielders finally held on to a catch. If not for the mishaps in the field the Giants would have been chasing at least a 30-35 runs lesser target.
Giants Struggle in Powerplay
The Gujarat Giants’ chase got off to a nervy start as Beth Mooney faced a maiden over from Titas Sadhu, making it challenging to get the innings going. This was certainly not the ideal beginning Mooney had hoped for. Unfortunately, the difficulties persisted as the Giants found themselves struggling at 41/3 within the powerplay, having lost their foreign trio of Laura Wolvaardt, Beth Mooney, and Phoebe Litchfield. Jess Jonassen dismissed the latter two and she eventually finished with impressive figures of 3 for 22.
Gardner’s Valiant Effort
Ashleigh Gardner’s valiant effort provided a glimmer of hope for the Gujarat Giants during their chase. With a composed innings of 40 runs off 31 balls, she showed the potential to steer her team towards a competitive total. However, once she was stumped off Jess Jonassen’s bowling in the 15th over, the Giants’ chances dwindled significantly.
Savali Satghare Makes History as First Concussion Substitute in WPL
The Gujarat Giants badly missed the experience of Dayalan Hemalatha who injured herself on the forehead attempting the catch of Jonassen in the first innings. She was replaced by Sayali Satghare, who made history as the first-ever concussion substitute in the Women’s Premier League. With this defeat, the Giants have now suffered four losses in as many games, a disappointing start to their campaign.
Also Read: https://goworldwide.co.in/amelia-kerr-and-bhatia-shine-as-mi-edge-past-rcb/