The Delhi Capitals recorded their victory with a two-wicket margin in a last-ball thriller against Mumbai Indians through Niki Prasad‘s leadership of the batting performance coupled with excellent bowling execution.
DC decided to start the game by bowling which led to their successful dismissal of MI in 19.1 overs while Nat Sciver-Brunt finished the innings without being dismissed and Harmanpreet Kaur hit 42 runs from just 22 balls. The duo of Sciver-Brunt and Harmanpreet formed an essential 73-run bond by hitting 40 balls together for the third wicket position. DC finished the match by dismissing MI in 19.1 overs through the excellent bowling performance of their bowlers who limited the remaining wickets to 35 runs.
Mumbai Indian Batting Line Up. Pic Credit: ESPNCricinfo
The most successful bowler for DC during the match turned out to be pacer Shikha Pandey who took 2 wickets with 14 runs along with Minnu Mani who achieved an economical spell of 1 wicket for 23 runs. Apart from being costly the additional bowlers secured critical bowling opportunities.
Shafali Verma provided DC an explosive start with her 43-run performance using 18 balls to put the team at 60 without loss. During the comeback surge MI threatened to halt the gradual progression of the chasing team.
The chase continued thanks to Alice Capsey (16) and Annabel Sutherland (13) together with Sarah Bryce (21) until Niki Prasad (35) stepped up to solidify the DC approach to the target.
The team stood at 21 needed from 12 balls while holding four wickets when No. 9 Radha Yadav (9 not out) hit a six to bring the target closer. The ball number four turned into a four while Niki made a successful save for the fifth delivery.
Amelia Kerr (2/21) and Hayley Matthews (2/32) together with Sciver-Brunt (1/38) and Shabnim Ismail (1/18) were the ones who took wickets for MI during the match.
Final Over Drama and the Two Bails Regulation
The game transformed significantly during the final over after the implementation of the two bails regulation. The third umpire called for a stumping review during the last delivery when DC required two runs yet restrained Arundhati Reddy from being out due to the bails rule. She secured the necessary runs through a desperate scramble to lead Delhi to an exciting victory.
Shafali Varma’s Onslaught and MI’s Comeback
Shafali scored 22 runs against Saika Ishaque in the second over by smashing four boundaries as well as hitting a six before launching two boundaries and a six against Hayley Matthews. She succeeded in grounding the fifth ball to prevent dismissal.
During the fourth over Shabnim Ismail struck out Meg Lanning which resulted in Delhi Capitals falling to 60-2 in the match. The ninth over proved disastrous for DC because Jemimah Rodrigues (2) and Annabel Sutherland (13) bowled back to the pavilion as the total reached 76/4.
Harmanpreet Kaur’s Dismissal and MI’s Collapse
During the eighth over from Radha Yadav both Sciver-Brunt and Harmanpreet scored 18 valuable runs through their hit-and-run play across three boundaries and one solitary six. The MI team ended their first inning at 87/2 after reaching the midpoint of the match.
The 14th over brought the fall of Harmanpreet as Annabel Sutherland claimed two wickets while giving away only 34 runs through a combination of three boundaries and one six.
With no other partner available Sciver-Brunt remained alone to attempt carrying on the innings until MI fell apart completely. The result came down to an implicit over dispute that turned the match into a memorable contest.
Also Read – WPL 2025: Richa Ghosh’s Blistering Knock Cruises RCB Women To A Record Run Chase Against Gujarat Giants (GG)