Image Credit- BCCI
With a tragic
clatter, six balls—half of them worldies—richocheted off Beth Mooney’s thigh
pad and smashed into the base of the middle and leg stump. In the final group
game of this year’s competition, which the Delhi Capitals won handily to
guarantee their spot in the final, Marizanne Kapp’s opening over provided the
perfect opportunity for the team to hammer home their WPL title credentials.
But neither they nor Kapp were done there. Not for the first time, she and Jess
Jonassen combined to quickly remove two more wickets as the Gujarat Giants
collapsed to 16 for 3 in five overs.
But neither they nor
Kapp were done there. Not for the first time, she and Jess Jonassen combined to
quickly remove two more wickets as the Gujarat Giants collapsed to 16 for 3 in
five overs.
Shafali Verma’s outstanding half-century made sure that the victory came
quickly and decisively. With 41 balls left, the Capitals crushed the target of
127 to secure first place in the table and a direct ticket to Sunday’s decider
against the Royal Challengers Bangalore or the reigning Mumbai Indians. The
Giants will continue to hunt for a postseason spot until 2025.
Minnu Mani, an
offspinner who replaced Titas Sadhu in the side, claimed two wickets in five
balls, leaving the Giants reeling at 48 for 5, just over halfway through their
innings. She dismissed Ashleigh Gardner with a ball that gripped, spun, and
crashed into the stumps. After being hit for six runs down the ground, Phoebe
Litchfield was decisively and quickly retaliated against by Radha Yadav, who
caught her at mid-on.
In an attempt to mount a comeback, Bharti Fulmali and
Kathryn Bryce put together a 68-run partnership off 50 balls. Fulmali hit seven
boundaries en route to her 36-ball 42, which topped the scoring for her team.
However, Shikha Pandey showed up to bowl the penultimate over and quickly
claimed two wickets in a row. Tanjua Kanwar was out after playing into a short,
slower ball outside off stump, and she dismissed Fulmali with a full delivery
that slammed into off stump.
Meg Lanning and Shafali raced to 31 without loss in three overs, giving the
Capitals the clear idea that there were somewhere to be—the final, to be exact.
Alice Capsey’s removal would have made it 31/2, to the Giants’ delight, but
Shafali had other ideas. After 10 overs, Gardner was hit for two more
boundaries by Shafali, a four to the right of long-on and a six over the fence
in the same area, taking the Capitals to 82 for 2.
The runs kept coming as Meghna gave up 20 runs off the 12th over, bringing the
Capitals to within 10 of victory. Jemimah Rodrigues lofted Mannat Kashyap over
long-off for a six of her own, and Shafali reached her fifty with a four over
extra cover. Shafali’s courageous four-ball from Kanwar down the ground pulled
them within one run, but she was dismissed moments later when trying to end it
by picking out Litchfield at mid-off. Despite this, she still managed to score
an incredible 71 from just 37 balls. It was Rodrigues who hit the winning runs,
a crisp four off Mannat through point.