In Match 12 of the Women’s Delhi Premier League, Central Delhi Queens registered a convincing victory over East Delhi Riders Women, driven by a stellar all-round display.
Central Delhi Queens kicked off their innings on a cautious note with opening batters Deeksha Sharma and Tanu Chauhan taking to the crease. The pair posted an opening stand of 17 runs before skipper Deeksha Sharma was dismissed for 13 runs off 14 balls, featuring a boundary and a towering six. Shortly after, Tanu Chauhan was cleaned up by Bharti Rawal for 3 off 7 deliveries. Central Delhi Queens found themselves in an early spot of bother, but Nidhi Mahto came in and completely shifted the momentum.
Mahto played a dazzling knock, anchoring the innings with a brilliant 80 runs off just 53 balls, embellished with 11 fours and 2 sixes. She constructed steady, crucial partnerships alongside Akshita Jain (8 off 8 balls) and Monika (1 off 3 balls) to revive the innings. East Delhi Riders’ bowlers pulled things back effectively through middle-overs breakthroughs; Vanshika Lila turned the game around with impressive figures of 3/14 in 4 overs, dismissing Mahto, Monika, and Kanika Mathur (6 off 14 balls).
Bharti Rawal was equally destructive, claiming 3/13 in 4 overs, while Tamanna Singh chipped in with 2/25 in 4 overs. Despite the flurry of late wickets, including Ritisha Khushi (5 off 12), Kashvi Kumar (0 off 1), Nidhi Tanwar (6* off 6), and Neha Parmar (2 off 2 run out), Central Delhi Queens battled their way to a competitive total of 138/9 in 20 overs.
Simran Bahadur (0/14 in 2 overs), captain Parunika Sisodia (0/34 in 4 overs), Purva Siwach (0/12 in 1 over), and Suhana Attri (0/22 in 1 over) also contributed overs for East Delhi Riders.
Chasing a target of 139, East Delhi Riders Women got off to a disastrous start. Central Delhi Queens’ skipper Deeksha Sharma led from the front with the ball, rocking the opposition top order early. She trap-bound Aarna Dudeja lbw for a second-ball duck with the score at 1/1 and quickly followed up by dismissing opening batter Vanshika Lila (4 off 9 balls) and wicketkeeper Pragya Rawal (7 off 11 balls).
With East Delhi Riders reeling at 9/3 inside the first three overs, Sonakshi attempted to stabilize the chase alongside Simran Bahadur, forming a steady fourth-wicket partnership. However, Nishtha Bhist broke the stand, by removing Sonakshi for 14 off 15 balls. Simran Bahadur then found support in Purva Siwach as the pair looked to rebuild the innings.
Bahadur played a fighting knock of 29 off 38 balls (hit with 4 boundaries) before Neha Parmar breached her defense to leave East Delhi Riders struggling at 5 wickets down. Purva Siwach provided late resistance with an unbeaten 30 off 30 balls, pairing with Rajshri Yadav (10* off 16 balls) in an unbroken 6th-wicket stand. However, the asking rate proved too steep against a disciplined bowling performance.
Deeksha Sharma finished as the pick of the bowlers with stellar figures of 3/19 in 4 overs, well complemented by Neha Parmar (1/22 in 4 overs), Nishtha Bhist (1/7 in 1 over), Kanika Mathur (0/16 in 4 overs), Nidhi Mahto (0/15 in 4 overs), and Monika (0/17 in 3 overs). East Delhi Riders Women were ultimately restricted to 97/5 in their allotted 20 overs, handing Central Delhi Queens a resounding 41-run victory.
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