We witnessed a historic first-ever super over in the brief history of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) when the home side Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) were up against the UP Warriorz in match 9 of the ongoing season. The Deepti Sharma-led side, courtesy of Sophie Ecclestone and Saima Thakor scripted one of the most remarkable come-from-behind wins to snatch crucial two points.
The Gujarat Giants led by skipper Ashleigh Gardner coming from a week-long break, made as many as three changes with Meghna Singh replacing Sayali Satghare, Bharti Fulmali replacing Dayalan Hemalatha, and Phoebe Litchfield replacing Laura Wolvaardt in the starting 11. Arundhati Reddy was replaced by Titas Sadhu for the Capitals in the playing 11.
Pandey and Kapp blow the Giants top order before Fulmali and Kanwer come to the rescue
Delhi Capitals new ball bowlers Shikha Pandey and Marizanne Kapp got their side off to a dream start after skipper Meg Lanning won the toss and opted to bowl first at a fresh pitch at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, in Bengaluru. The Giants were reduced to 60/6 as Deandra Dottin (26 off 24 balls) departed in the 11th over of the innings. Marizanne Kapp returned with a mind-blowing spell (3-1-8-2) in the powerplay.
Bharti Fulmali joined Tanuja Kanwer at the crease and the duo led the fightback with a much-needed 51-run partnership for the 7th wicket, taking the Giants past the 100-run mark. Tanuja Kanwer (16 off 24 balls) sacrificed her wicket for Bharti Fulmali courtesy of a horrible mix-up between the duo. The Giants eventually huffed and puffed to a respectable total of 127/9 in their quota of 20 overs.
Bharti Fulmali (40* off 29 balls) was the stand-out performer with the bat, she was left strangled at the non-striker’s end towards the business end of the innings. The trio of Deandra Dottin, Bharti Fulmali, and Tanuja Kanwer contributed 64% of the Giants total. Marizanne Kapp (4-1-17-2), Shikha Pandey (3-0-18-2), and Annabel Sutherland (4-0-20-2) picked up a couple of wickets each with the ball for Delhi Capitals.
Jess Jonassen and Shafali Verma guide the Capitals to a comprehensive victory
Chasing a small target of 128, the Capitals lost their skipper Meg Lanning in the 4th over of the run chase. Kashvee Gautam provided the first breakthrough for the Gujarat Giants. The Capitals management pulled the rabbit out of their hat with a surprise promotion of Jess Jonassen which eventually worked wonders for the Meg Lanning-led side as she not only notched up her maiden WPL half-century (61* off 32 balls) but also guided her side over the line, despite a little bit of a stutter.
The Capitals got over the line with six wickets in hand and 29 balls to spare. The massive 74-run partnership for the 2nd wicket between Shafali Verma (44 off 27 balls) and Jess Jonassen settled the nerves in the Capitals dressing room. Kashvee Gautam (4-0-26-2) was the stand-out performer with the ball for Gujarat Giants, while Deandra Dottin (4-0-30-0) was impressive with the ball. Tanuja Kanwer (2-0-13-1), and skipper Ashleigh Gardner (3-0-33-1) picked up a wicket each for their side.
Jess Jonassen was awarded the Player of the Match for her impressive performance with the bat, 61* off 32 balls, and returning with match figures of 3-0-24-1 with the ball for her side. She along with the new ball bowlers played a massive part in helping the Delhi Capitals rise to the top of the table with six points from five games in the ongoing 3rd edition of the tournament so far.
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