With an opener that saw over 400 runs scored in a day and a second game that had everyone on the edge of their seats till the very last ball, the Women’s Premier League (WPL) has gotten off to a dramatic start.
Delhi Capitals snuck away with a two-wicket win over Mumbai Indians at the Kotambi International Stadium here on Saturday to get its first points of the WPL 2025 campaign. Meg Lanning’s adept bowling rotations set the tone for a win early on, with the Capitals restricting Mumbai to 164.
Lanning opted to field, looking to work on a target set by a deep batting lineup in the Mumbai dugout. She tried out four bowlers in the first six overs. It didn’t help that Alice Capsey was put away for 19 runs in her first over.
Shikha Pandey got to work and struck twice in three overs to peg momentum back in the Capitals’ favour, taking out both openers with her handy inswing.
MI vs DC Highlights
Hayley Matthews got a thick edge which found Lanning at slip while Yastika Bhatia lost her leg stump to one coming in from the Indian seamer.
Mumbai skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and Nat Sciver-Brunt then stitched a crucial partnership to steady their side’s inning. Harman reduced Delhi’s fielders to mere spectators with a flurry of boundaries up front. She took Annabel Sutherland to the cleaners, hammering three fours and a six off the Australian allrounder’s over before holing out to Niki Prasad at deep third.
Niki Prasad
| Photo Credit:
Sportzpics for WPL
Niki Prasad
| Photo Credit:
Sportzpics for WPL
Sciver-Brunt (80 n.o off 59 balls) dropped anchor, bringing up a fine half century — her fourth in the WPL. Her smooth shot selection and placement stood out in an otherwise forgettable game for Mumbai’s batters.
Chasing 165 for a win, Lanning and Shafali Verma picked up from where they left last season, bringing up a 50-run stand in no time. Shafali played the aggressor, slamming 22 runs in the second over. She fell seven runs short of a half century with a miscued shot off Matthews finding Amanjot Kaur. Lanning lost her stumps to Shabnim Ismail’s pace.
A gut-twisting finish to the chase was to follow.
Mumbai effected a collapse, removing Jemimah Rodrigues and Sutherland for low scores. Capsey partnerd Niki as the pair attempted to rebuild the Delhi innings but Amelia Kerr sent back the English allrounder.
Niki, playing her maiden game in the league, found a partner in Sarah Bryce who managed a 10-ball 21. Niki kept calm with wickets falling at the other end and a contentious run out review going her way in the dying overs of the chase. Vadodara’s own Radha Yadav also gave her home crowd reasons to cheer with a massive six in the 19th over.
Niki nearly saw the job through but holed out to Kerr in the deep off Sajana in the final over with two runs needed for a win.
Arundhati Reddy ran for her life on the last ball off the game to take the Capitals home.
