Delhi Capitals were up against Mumbai Indians, in a must-win encounter, in the 13th match of the ongoing 4th edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) at Kotambi Stadium, Vadodara. The Capitals skipper Jemimah Rodrigues won the toss and opted to bowl first.
Both sides made some changes; the Capitals handed the 16-year-old teenage prodigy Deeya Yadav her WPL debut, replacing Minnu Mani. Mumbai Indians, on the other hand, made as many as 4 changes, with the wicketkeeper batter Gunalan Kamalini ruled out of the ongoing edition due to an injury. Vaishanvi Sharma replaced her in the side, and Rahila Firdous took up the gloves. Poonam Khemnar and Shabnim Ismail returned to the side.
Sajeevan Sajana partnered with Hayley Matthews to open the innings as the experimentation with the opening combination continued. After a scratchy 21-run opening stand, both openers were back into the pavilion in quick succession. The experienced duo of Nat Sciver-Brunt (65*) and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (41) stabilised the ship for the Mumbai Indians with a much-needed 3rd wicket partnership, which proved crucial as they posted a competitive total of 154/5 in their quota of 20 overs. Sanskriti Gupta smashed a maximum on the final ball of the innings to push the total past the 150-run mark.
N Sree Charani and Marizanne Kapp were the stand-out performers with the ball for the Delhi Capitals. Nandani Sharma (4-0-36-1) and Lucy Hamilton (4-0-36-0) played their part with the ball for their side.
Chasing a target of 155, Delhi Capitals openers Shafali Verma (29 off 24 balls) and Lizelle Lee (46 off 28 balls) provided them with a solid start courtesy of a massive 63-run opening stand. Debutant Vaishnavi Sharma broke the standby sending Shafali Verma back to the pavilion in the 8th over of the innings to provide the first breakthrough for Mumbai Indians. Mumbai pulled things back and took the run chase deep. However, skipper Jemimah Rodrigues kept her calm and guided her side over the line with an unbeaten half-century alongside Marizanne Kapp to seal a much-needed victory with 7 wickets in hand and an over to spare.
Top Performers: Delhi Capitals vs Mumbai Indians
Nat Sciver-Brunt
Mumbai Indians openers were yet again unable to give a solid platform for the middle order after being inserted to bat first by the Delhi Capitals skipper Jemimah Rodrigues. They lost Sajeevan Sajana in the 4th over of the innings when Nat Sciver-Brunt joined Hayley Matthews at the crease. However, the West Indian skipper Hayley Matthews (12 off 15 balls), recovering from an injury, departed in the 5th over of the innings. Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur joined Nat Sciver-Brunt at the crease, and the stage was set for another recovery act from the one of the most experienced duo in the Mumbai batting lineup. The pair delivered yet again with a much-needed 78-run partnership for the 3rd wicket, which also took them on the brink of the three-figure mark. After the departure of skipper Harmanpreet Kaur in the 14th over of the innings, Nat Sciver-Brunt ensured she stayed till the end. She scored her 3rd half-century, 65* (45 balls) this season, and her 11th overall in the WPL. Her knock included 6 boundaries and a couple of maximums as the Mumbai Indians posted 154/5 in their quota of 20 overs.
Harmanpreet Kaur
Coming in at number 4 with her side in trouble at 21/2 in the 5th over of the innings led from the front yet again. She led the recovery alongside Nat Sciver-Brunt with a crucial knock (41 off 33 balls) en route to their 78-run partnership for the 3rd wicket. Her knock included 7 boundaries. N Sree Charani ended skipper Harmanpreet Kaur’s stay at the crease in the 14th over of the innings, providing the much-needed 3rd breakthrough for Delhi Capitals. She reclaimed the orange cap with 243 runs at a strike rate of 143.71 and an average of 60 in 6 innings, including a couple of half-centuries in 6 matches with the bat for her side in the tournament so far.
N Sree Charani
One of the underrated performers of India’s recent ODI World Cup triumph at home, the 21-year-old left-arm spinner N Sree Charani took her time to settle into her rhythm. However, she looked closer to her best in the game against the defending champions Mumbai Indians. She potentially delivered decisive blows for skipper Jemimah Rodrigues as she accounted for the big scalps of skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, Nicola Carey and Amanjot Kaur in her spell of 4-0-33-3, keeping the scoring rate under check. Delhi Capitals restricted Mumbai to 154/5 in their quota of 20 overs. N Sree Charani has picked up 7 wickets at an average of 25 and an economy of 9.21 in five innings and 5 matches for her side so far this season.
Jemimah Rodrigues
Under pressure, Delhi Capitals skipper Jemimah Rodrigues looked much more confident and clearer in her plans in a must-win situation. Winning the toss and opting to bowl first, the Capitals bowling unit backed up their skipper’s decision and justified the call by restricting the Mumbai Indians to 154/5 in their quota of 20 overs. In the run chase, the Capitals openers, Shafali Verma, alongside wicket-keeper batter Lizelle Lee, delivered a solid opening stand worth 63 runs. Skipper Jemmimah Rodrigues found herself in the middle in a much more comfortable position with her side at 84/2 in the 11th over of the run chase alongside Laura Wolvaardt, yet again tasked with guiding their side over the line. The pair took them closer to the target with a crucial 34-run partnership for the 3rd wicket.
An unfortunate runout at the non-strikers end terminated Laura Wolvaardt’s (17 off 19 balls) stay at the crease in the 17th over of the run chase. Skipper Jemimah Rodrigues, who looked promising with the bat throughout the season, however, wasn’t able to guide her side over the line on a few occasions so far. However, this time around, she stayed calm and took her time to settle down and ensured she got her side over the line, with 7 wickets in hand and an over to spare, scoring her first half-century 51* (37 balls) as a skipper this season, her 4th in WPL to keep their campaign alive courtesy of an unbeaten 37-run partnership for the 4th wicket. Her knock included 5 boundaries and a maximum. She was also awarded the Player of the Match.
Marizanne Kapp
The experienced South African veteran all-rounder delivered an exceptional spell of new-ball bowling against a struggling Mumbai Indians top-order to extend their struggles in the powerplay this season, putting the screws on the scoring during the field restrictions. She delivered an impactful spell of 4-0-8-1, accounting for the scalp of Hayley Matthews (12 off 15 balls), while also conceding at an average of just 2 runs per over in her spell, almost single-handedly squeezing the momentum out of Mumbai Indians innings. Besides her sensational spell with the ball, she also chipped in with a vital cameo (10* off 6 balls) with the bat to guide her side over the line in the run chase alongside skipper Jemimah Rodrigues, forming a crucial unbeaten 37-run partnership for the 4th wicket. The Delhi Capitals return to winning ways with a 7-wicket win and an over to spare, keeping their campaign alive in the ongoing edition of the tournament.
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