Delhi Capitals consigned Royal Challengers Bangalore to a fifth loss in five games as they chased down 151 to win by 6 wickets on Monday evening.
Marizanne Kapp and Jess Jonassen scored twelve runs from the final over to take their team to victory.
Effective contributions throughout the team from Shikha Pandey, Alice Capsey, and Kapp helped DC to a fourth win in five and cement their place in the top three.
Earlier, Ellyse Perry’s knock of 67*(52) helped her side to a competitive score after a slow start.
DC’s bowling was initially tight, keeping Bangalore to just 50-2 at the halfway mark, but Perry and Richa Ghosh struck 82 runs from the last six overs to give their bowlers a score to defend.
For Delhi, Shikha Pandey was the pick of the bowlers, taking 3-23 and combatting the late order assault from Perry and Ghosh with distinction.
RCB captain Smriti Mandhana’s poor form continued, however, as she pulled Shikha Pandey’s first ball straight down the throat of Jemimah Rodrigues at deep-square leg.
The introduction of Jonassen and Radha Yadav put the brakes on RCB’s promising start as their flight and guile held Devine and Ellyse Perry at bay.
The momentum was with Delhi and the WPL’s breakout star, Tara Norris, was next in wickets as Heather Knight swept into the hands of a diving Pandey at short-fine leg.
DC were excellent in the middle eight overs of the match, conceding 32 runs and taking the important wickets of Devine and Knight. Such was their control that only three boundaries were scored.
They were not able to take Perry’s wicket though and the World Cup winner was able to accelerate into the death overs, ably supported by Richa Ghosh.
Suddenly, Bangalore were moving at speed. Alice Capsey and Tara Norris’ third overs went for 17 and 20 respectively.
Ghosh’s power and full range of shots was on display as she hit 37 from just 16 balls, including three sixes.
As RCB started to gain ascendency, Delhi’s composure eluded them.
Pandey and Jonassen dropped caught and bowled chances before Verma’s miss-field gifted Perry four and Yadav palmed Ghosh’s straight hit over the boundary for six.
In reply, Delhi Capitals lost Shafali Verma to a golden duck as she was bowled by a trademark Megan Schutt in-swinger.
Capsey joined Lanning at the crease and the pair set about chasing down RCB’s score.
England’s young star was in fine form, hitting the returning Preeti Bose for four consecutive fours before her demise, slog sweeping straight to deep mid-wicket.
Her innings of 38 from 24 balls helped DC get well ahead of the required run rate.
Rodrigues replaced Capsey and kept the scoreboard ticking over in her inimitable style. The young Indian international nudged and nurdled her way to an influential score of 32(28).
By contrast, Meg Lanning looked scratchy for the first time this tournament, eventually gifting a wicket to Sobhana Asha when she picked out Knight at long-off.
Kapp came in and steadied the ship for a while until Rodrigues was removed – by Asha again – trying to sweep a ball that was too short.
Just as the game looked to be going the way of Delhi for good, Megan Schutt returned to bowl a five-run over and really put the squeeze on.
Perry kept the pressure high, bowling another two dot balls against the frustrated Kapp.
Marizanne Kapp responded emphatically, though, setting herself and pulling the ball far over deep-square leg for six.
In the final over, Renuka Singh was unable to defend the nine runs required for victory, as Jonassen’s six won the day for DC.
DELHI CAPITALS: Shafali Verma, Meg Lanning (c), Jemimah Rodrigues, Alice Capsey, Marizanne Kapp, Jess Jonassen, Taniya Bhatia (wk), Radha Yadav, Arundhati Reddy, Shikha Pandey, Tara Norris
ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE: Smriti Mandhana (c), Sophie Devine, Ellyse Perry, Heather Knight, Richa Ghosh (wk), Shreyanka Patil, Disha Kasat, Megan Schutt, Renuka Singh Thakur, Sobhana Asha, Preeti Bose