The Capitals spin duo of Jess Jonassen and Minnu Mani set up a dominant win against Mumbai Indians by bagging three wickets each in their spell before openers Shafali Verma and Meg Lanning made light work of the chase with skipper Meg Lanning (60* off 49 balls) guiding her side over the line in the 13th match of Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2025.
The home side Royal Challengers Bengaluru were up against the Capitals led by skipper Meg Lanning in the 14th game of the season. The Smriti Mandhana-led side were keen to sign off their home-leg with a win, as a gift for the RCB fans. Both sides made a change each, Ekta Bisht replaced Prema Rawat, while debutant Nallapureddy Charini replaced Titas Sadhu for Delhi Capitals.
Ellyse Perry’s record-equaling half-century takes RCB to a respectable total
Shikha Pandey picked up the big scalp of the opposition skipper Smriti Mandhana after skipper Meg Lanning won the toss and opted to bowl first in the last league game of the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, in Bengaluru. Ellyse Perry joined Danielle Wyatt-Hodge at the crease and the duo stitched a much-needed 44-run partnership for the 2nd wicket to take their side past the 50-run mark. Marizanne Kapp picked up the wicket of Danielle Wyatt-Hodge (21 off 18 balls) to provide the 2nd breakthrough for her side.
Another solid 66-run partnership for the 3rd wicket between Ellyse Perry and Raghvi Bist took the home side in a strong position, closing in on the 120-run mark. The debutant Nallapureddy Charani broke the stand by removing Raghvi Bisht (33 off 32 balls) in the 17th over of the innings. The home side failed to get the finishing touches as they ended up with a total of 147/5 in their quota of 20 overs. Ellyse Perry (60* off 47 balls) notched up a record-equalling 8th WPL half-century, joining Meg Lanning in the list of the most number of half-centuries in the WPL.
Shikha Pandey (4-0-24-2), Nallapureddy Shree Charani (4-0-28-2), and Marizanne Kapp (4-0-18-1) were the top performers with the ball for the Delhi Capitals.
Shafali Verma and Jess Jonassen guide Delhi Capitals to the play-offs
The Capitals had an early set-back as they lost the big wicket of their skipper Meg Lanning in the 3rd over of the run chase of 148. Renuka Singh Thakur provided the first breakthrough for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the powerplay.
Yet another promotion for Jess Jonassen worked out wonders as not only did she take the attack to the bowlers but also notched up her 2nd WPL half-century (61* off 38 balls). She took her side over the line, alongside Shafali Verma (80* off 43 balls) who notched up her first half-century in the ongoing 3rd edition of the WPL. The Capitals sealed a thumping 9-wicket win with 27 balls to spare.
Shafali Verma was awarded the Player of the Match for her sensational match-winning knock of 80* off 43 balls for Delhi Capitals. She, alongside Jess Jonassen and the bowlers, played a pivotal role as the Delhi Capitals became the first team to qualify for the WPL 2025 play-offs.
Loves all things female cricket
