Karnataka’s Niki Prasad, whose claim to fame has been leading India Under-19 women’s team to World Cup glory, has also made her impact in the Women’s Premier League, winning the player of the match award in her debut game.
Post-game, Prasad, in an interaction, shared, “It was Jemi (Jemimah Rodrigues) who handed the cap to me, and she had a very special message for me. I found that very nice, and getting that cap from Jemi was quite special,” she said, expressing her happiness and joy.
Rodrigues was full of praise for her fellow young DC teammate, as she shared, “I had the honor of giving the cap to Niki. I think Niki is someone who fit into this team so smoothly and perfectly; she didn’t have to make an effort. It always felt like she belonged to DC, and one thing I really admired about her was her maturity and level of calmness at this age.”
“I know this is a dream-come-true moment for you to get the DC cap, but at the same time, Niki, you add so much more value to the DC team. To end it off, I said, you won the Under-19 World Cup, and now that you’ve come here, hopefully, the vibes will spread to DC,” Jemimah highlighted how she motivated Prasad, whilst also jokingly implying that Prasad might be the good luck Delhi Capitals need, after finishing twice as runners-up.
On the match front, Mumbai, batting first, leaned on Nat Sciver-Brunt’s unbeaten 80 off 59 and Harmanpreet Kaur’s 42 off 22 to post 164. Annabel Sutherland (3/34) and Shikha Pandey (2/14) kept Mumbai in check.
In reply, Shafali Verma’s explosive 43 off 18 gave Delhi a fiery start, while Niki Prasad anchored with a crucial 35(33). Sarah Bryce’s cameo (21 off 10) and Radha Yadav’s late strike narrowed the chase. Arundhati Reddy held her nerve on the final ball, securing a thrilling two-wicket win.
(Quotes sourced from video posted on WPLT20 on Instagram)
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