Ellyse Perry steals the spotlight in the Mumbai-Bangalore El Clásico, the final league game for both teams in the ongoing 2024 Women’s Premiere League (WPL). While the best figures in the tournament stood at 5/15 before today, Perry’s brilliance saw her rewrite the record books with a stunning 6-fer. Let’s see the Top 5 Best Bowling figures in WPL History.
Ellyse Perry 6/15
The latest addition to the list of best bowling figures in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) also tops this coveted list. Ellyse Perry picked up 6 wickets in RCB’s final group-stage fixture of the 2024 season of the WPL. In her quota of 4 overs, she accounted for 6 scalps giving away just 15 runs and bowling at an economy of less than 4 runs per over. Her spell included 18 dot balls which is the second highest number of dot balls bowled by an individual in a WPL innings; the highest is 19. Her victims for the night included some big-name players such as Nat Sciver Brunt, Amelia Kerr, and the opposition skipper Harmanpreet Kaur. What makes this spell even more special is the fact that it came against one of the best batting lineups of the tournament and even the fact that it came in a must-win situation for her side.
Marizanne Kapp 5/15
The next in this list of brilliance with the ball is Marizanne Kapp. The South African all-rounder is known for not only her skill with the ball but also her prowess with the bat. But in this instance, it’s her outstanding ability with the ball that earns her a place in the list of Best Bowling figures in WPL History.
Marizanne Kapp concluded her bowling spell in a single stretch, achieving remarkable figures of five for 15, the best performance in the WPL 2023. Representing Capitals, the South African initiated the innings with the new ball and swiftly dismissed Sabbhineni Meghana with the second delivery.
During her second over, Kapp secured consecutive wickets, dismissing Laura Wolvaardt and Ashleigh Gardner. Following this, she claimed the leg before wicket of Harleen Deol, who was the only Giants batter to reach a double-digit score, thanks to four boundaries.
Kapp completed her five-wicket haul by dismissing Sushma Verma, who had scored two runs off nine deliveries. The all-rounder’s exceptional performance led to Gujarat Giants being reduced to 31/5 at the conclusion of the PowerPlay and further to 33/6 by the end of the seventh over.
Asha Shobhana 5/22
Making history, she became the inaugural Indian bowler and the fourth overall to achieve a five-wicket haul in the Women’s Premier League. Her outstanding match figures of 5/22 played a pivotal role in Smriti Mandhana-led Royal Challengers Bangalore’s nail-biting 2-run victory in a last-ball thriller against the UP Warriorz, captivating the jam-packed Chinnaswamy crowd. With a dream start to the season, her aspirations of representing India at the international level may be within reach if she sustains her impressive performance.
In the closely contested season opener against the UP Warriorz, Sobhana Asha stood out with an imposing bowling display for her team. Asha’s precision in bowling and her knack for striking in the middle overs significantly contributed to restricting the opposition from chasing down the target. During her 4-over spell, she took 5 wickets, conceding only 22 runs, dismissing key players like Vrinda Dinesh, Tahlia McGrath, Grace Harris, Shweta Sehrawat, and Kiran Navgire. By completing this five-wicket feat, she secured the distinction of being the first Indian to achieve this in the Women’s Premier League.
Tara Norris 5/29
Achieving a historic milestone, the left-arm speedster became the first associate nation player to secure a five-wicket haul in the Women’s Premier League (WPL). This remarkable feat occurred during the Delhi Capitals’ match against Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai in the 2023 edition of the WPL.
Norris claimed her first wicket by dismissing Ellyse Perry, who scored 31 runs off 19 balls with five fours. In the same over, the left-arm speedster secured the wicket of Disha Kasat. Moving into her second over, Norris found herself on a hat-trick after successfully dismissing Richa Ghosh and Kanika Ahuja.
In her final over, Norris made a crucial breakthrough by taking the wicket of England captain Heather Knight. Norris concluded her spell with impressive figures of 4-0-29-5. Capitalizing on her outstanding performance, the Capitals emerged victorious over the Challengers, winning by a margin of 60 runs.
Kim Garth 5/36
In the 2023 edition of the WPL, Kim Garth stepped in as a last-minute replacement for the West Indian player, Deandra Dottin, in the match against the UP Warriorz. During her opening spell of seam bowling, Garth displayed exquisite skill, dismissing Alyssa Healy, Shweta Sehrawat, and Tahlia McGrath in her initial two overs, reducing the Warriorz to 20-3. Garth managed to bounce out Navgire with her fourth ball, and Simran, the prolific Mumbai batter, walked in to face the next challenge. Unfortunately, Garth’s first delivery was swift and accurately aimed at the base of the off-stump, proving too difficult for Shaikh to handle.
Upon her return to defend a target of 53 in three overs, Garth faced aggressive batting from Grace Harris and Sophie Ecclestone, conceding 20 runs in her fourth over. Despite starting with figures of 3-0-16-5, Garth concluded with a final tally of 4-0-36-5.