Highlights
The Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2024 match took place at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi yesterday, with UP Warriorz (UPW) defeating Delhi Capitals (DC) by a margin of one run. After Deepti Sharma (4/19) got a hat-trick in two overs, DC crumbled from 93/2 to 137 all out in a chase of 139 in a breath taking turnaround. After 13 overs, it appeared as though Delhi Capitals would easily win by a landslide. Meg Lanning hit three straight fours off Gouher Sultana to reach her fifty, and they needed 48 off the final seven overs with eight wickets remaining. Deepti, with the final ball of the 14th over, cleverly trapped Lanning (60 off 46) leg before.
The Delhi captain failed to get a clean hit that went across the line when the off-spinner produced a full delivery on middle and off. At the beginning of the eighteenth over, Jemimah Rodrigues (17) was out of luck as she attempted to take on a slower ball from Saima Thakor, but she holed out to long off.
While Jess Jonassen hammered the UPW pacer for a four and a six, Deepti finished her hat-trick by dismissing Annabel Sutherland (6) and Arundhati Reddy (0) with the opening two deliveries of the penultimate over. Reddy made a catch at deep midwicket, and Sutherland was bowled after she failed to make any contact with her slog. By dismissing Shikha Pandey (4), who chipped a return catch to the bowler, Deepti further astounded Delhi.
With 10 needed from six balls, Radha Yadav, assisted by the fielder who missed the stroke totally, lofted the opening ball of the last over, bowled by Grace Harris, for six over deep midwicket. With the third delivery, Yadav (9) was bowled out by Harris as the tailender misplayed the ball and hit her stumps. Following a frantic attempt at a run by Jonassen (11), who was run out, Titas Sadhu (0) chipped the following ball straight to mid-on, capping an incredible comeback victory for UP Warriorz.
Skipper Lanning shown some promise before Delhi’s collapse
Delhi lost Shafali Verma for 15 as she was bowled by a skidder from Thakor while chasing 138. Alice Capsey (15 off 23) had trouble getting going. In the eleventh over, she was able to drive Sophie Ecclestone for a six, but she fell off the following delivery, toe-ending another massive hit towards deep midwicket. But Lanning batted well at the other end, and by the time Capsey was out, he had already smashed eight fours. But Deepti’s dismissal of the Delhi captain turned out to be the game changing moment as UP Warriorz was bowled to a historic victory.
Deepti was Most Valuable Player
The all-rounder had also excelled at the bat earlier. After winning the toss and choosing to bat first, UPW lost Kiran Navgire for 5 runs off the bowl of Sadhu, while Alyssa Healy was dismissed for 29 after spooning at catch too long off of Capsey’s bowling. Deepti (59 off 48) carried her team over the 130-mark by herself, giving them something to bowl at even as wickets continued to fall.