Meg Lanning’s attacking knock ensured that Delhi Capitals romped to a win against Mumbai Indians in a WPL match in Bengaluru on Friday.
| Photo Credit: K. MURALI KUMAR
Delhi Capitals (DC) outclassed a listless Mumbai Indians (MI) by nine wickets at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Friday to move to the top of the Women’s Premier League points table.
DC (8 points) pushed MI (6 points) to second spot.
DC captain Meg Lanning took the winning template of inserting the opposition in to bat. The MI batters – lacking in intent – came a cropper. MI played out 54 dot balls in the essay, leading to an inadequate total of 123 for nine.
Trouble came early for MI, when Yastika Bhatia (11) failed for a fourth straight occasion. Hayley Mathews (22, 25b) and Natalie Sciver-Brunt (18, 22b), the star performers in the win over UP Warriorz a few days earlier, crawled along.
Captain Harmanpreet Kaur (22, 16b, 2×4, 1×6) was the only one to get a move on. Harmanpreet’s dismissal, brought about by accurate left-arm spinner Jess Jonassen, robbed MI of all momentum.
The DC outfielding was up to the mark, with Annabel Sutherland grabbing a fine high catch to send back Amelia Kerr (17). Jonassen and offspinner Minnu Mani claimed three wickets each.
The electric DC chase was in stark contrast to MI’s lethargy. Shafali Verma (43, 28b, 4×4, 3×6) and Meg Lanning (60 n.o., 49b, 9×4) went after the bowling unit with gusto, making a mockery of the target. The duo effectively put the game to bed in the PowerPlay, powering the side to 57 for no loss.
After hammering leg-spinner Kerr for two big straight sixes, Shafali flicked pacer Amanjot Kaur to deep mid-wicket.
At this stage, DC was in prime position with 39 runs needed from 59 balls. With an eye on the net run rate, Lanning and Jemimah Rodrigues (15 n.o., 10b, 2×4) kept the hard hits coming to complete the job in 14.3 overs.
The scores: Mumbai Indians 123/9 in 20 overs (Jess Jonassen 3/25, Minnu Mani 3/17) lost to Delhi Capitals 124/1 in 14.3 overs (Meg
Lanning 60 n.o., Shafali Verma 43). Toss: Capitals; PoM: Jonassen.
Published – February 28, 2025 11:17 pm IST