[ad_1]
Royal Challengers Bangalore had not beaten Delhi Capitals in the two round-robin matches last year in the Women’s Premier League (WPL). The Meg Lanning-led team made sure to maintain the record in this edition too as the Capitals defeated the Royal Challengers by 25 runs in Bengaluru on Thursday. By virtue of their win, Delhi Capitals now top the standings, tied on points with RCB and Mumbai Indians but ahead on net run rate.
The hosts won the toss and put DC into bat, but the latter became the only second team in WPL 2024 after RCB to win batting first. Despite losing captain Lanning (11) in the fifth over, Delhi Capitals got off to a good start thanks to Shafali Verma and Alice Capsey, whose second-wicket partnership of 82 off 43 balls helped last year’s runners-up to a formidable total of 194./5 in his 20 overs. Verma hit a second consecutive half-century after hitting a winning unbeaten 64 against UP Warriorz earlier this week.
On Thursday, the explosive opener hit three boundaries and four sixes to score 50 off 31. Verma, who was dropped for two by Shreyanka Patil off pacer Renuka Singh, was assisted by Capsey, who contributed a 33-ball 46. I hiccupped as journeyman Patil (1/40) removed Verma and medium pacer Nadine de Klerk (2/35) got rid of Capsey with a beautiful Yorker. Jemimah Rodrigues (0) also returned to the pavilion without opening her account.
But the Capitals were able to revive their innings thanks to quick cameos from Marizanne Kapp (32 off 16) and Jess Jonassen (36 off 16). Kapp and Jonassen together scored 48 off 22 before Jonassen and the unbeaten Arundhati Reddy (10 off 4) scored 22 off nine deliveries to propel the Capitals to the highest score of this edition of WPL 2024 so far.
Sophie Devine was Royal Challengers Bangalore’s top bowler, taking 2/23. In response, the home team got off to an excellent start with Smriti Mandhana hitting the DC bowlers all over the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. The captain’s fireworks helped her achieve 74 out of 43, the second highest score of this edition so far. Mandhana was assisted by Devine (23 off 17) as the former added 77.
Devine bowled a full toss but Mandhana kept the run rate high with 10 boundaries and three huge sixes. But the run rate fell after Kapp bowled Mandhana (2/35) on the last ball of the 12th over. The required rate as well as the increased pressure on it. Richa Ghosh tried to go for the big shots but Sabbhineni Meghana scored by running the ball and allowed the ask rate to cross 12. Kapp took her second wicket when Ghosh (19 off 13) made a mistake while going for a big shot.
Shikha Pandey (1/27) and Jonassen (3/21) kept the batsmen in check by maintaining good line and length, bowling plenty while Meghana (36 off 31) and Georgia Wareham (6 off 7) failed to accelerate as much as they could. RCB. Don’t clear the ropes from 16 to 18. Meghana was bowled by Reddy on 24 but couldn’t take RCB to the target as she was run out as RCB lost four more wickets in the last two overs to go down for the first time in this edition of the WPL.
Both teams made one change each as RCB’s Ellyse Perry sat out due to illness and was replaced by WPL debutant de Klerk. DC’s Annabel Sutherland was also lost with Jonassen in her place.