Nail-biting one-run victory for Delhi Capitals over RCB

Two crucial batting partnerships at the top of the innings for the Delhi Capitals secured them a dramatic one-run victory over the Royal Challengers Bangalore in a Women’s Premier League match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.

Chasing 182 after the Capitals earlier posted 181 for five, RCB came agonisingly close to finish on 180 for seven.

The foundation for the Delhi Capitals’ victory was laid by the 54-run opening partnership between captain Meg Lanning and Shafali Verma and the 97-run third wicket partnership between Jemimah Rodriques and Alice Capsey. Rodriques top scored with 58 while Shreyanka Patil took four for 26 for RCB.

The RCB run-chase couldn’t have started on a worse note when Capsey trapped Smriti Mandhana lbw for 5 (7b, 1x4) in the second over and with the score on nine.

Ellyse Perry and Sophie Molineux then dug in to try and keep up with the required run rate. Perry targeted Jess Jonassen and Marizanne Kapp with well-placed shots all around the ground.

RCB’s 50 was up in the eight over with Perry on 37 and Molineux on eight.

Just one run short of her 50, Perry was run out for 49 of only 32 balls (7x4, 1x6) and RCB lost their second wicket with the score on 89 in the eleventh over.

It was a double wicket for the Delhi Capitals when Rodriques took a running catch from the bowling of Arundhati Reddy in the next over that saw the end of Molineux for 33 (30b, 5x4). The score was 93 for three.

With 24 balls remaining and the score on 137 for three, it was up to Sophie Devine (23*) and Richa Ghosh (23*) to see how they could chip away at the 45 runs required for a RCD victory.

Just as it seemed RCB might cause an upset, Reddy took a comfortable catch from the bowling of Kapp that saw the end of Devine for 26 (16b, 1x4, 2x6) and the scoreboard read 142 for four.

RCB’s fifth wicket fell with the score on 165 when Radha Yadav took a catch from the bowling of Shikha Pandey that saw the end of Georgia Wareham for 12 (6b, 2x4).

The last over saw the score go to 172 for six with Disha Kasat run out without scoring.

It was left to Ghosh to secure victory with eight required from two deliveries. She duly hit Jonassen for six but was run out for 51 of only 29 deliveries (4x4, 3x6) in dramatic fashion of the last ball of the match, just one run short of what would have been a dramatic victory.

Earlier Shradda Pokharkar got to share the new ball with Renuka Singh on her debut for RCB. Verma promptly dispatched her first delivery to the boundary for four.

It took a couple of overs for Lanning to get going, but once she found her rhythm, she went after especially Renuka Singh, with four fours in the fourth over. Singh also conceded three extras in the form of wides.

The opening stance was finally broken in the seventh over and with the score on 54 when Asha Sobhana got the better of Verma for 23 of 18 balls (3x4, 1x6). Molineux took the catch at backward point.

Just six runs were added to the Delhi Capitals’ total before their second wicket fell. Patil struck in her first over trapping Lanning lbw for a quick-fire 29 of 26 (5x4).

At the halfway mark of their innings, the Capitals were on 84 for two, with Rodriques on 10 and Capsey on 16. The pair took the score to 103 in the 13th over with a four by Rodriques bringing up the important marker. Two more boundaries signalled their 50-run partnership (51* of 31 balls).

Rodriques registered her 50 with a massive six of the bowling of Georgia Wareham. She only needed 26 deliveries, the second fastest, and her half-ton also included eight fours.

Patil finally got the breakthrough when she bowled Rodriques for 58 (36b, 8x4, 1x6), taking the Delhi Capitals’ score to 157 for three with 13 deliveries remaining in the innings.

With the score on 176 for three, Capsey had to depart for 48 (32b, 8x4) after being bowled by Patil who claimed her third wicket in the process. Patil was on fire in the final over, only conceding five runs and getting her fourth wicket when Ghosh stumped Jess Jonassen for 1 (2b). Kapp was not out for 12 of six balls.

ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE: Smriti Mandhana (c), Disha Kasat, Sophie Devine, Ellyse Perry, Richa Ghosh, Georgia Wareham, Sophie Molineux, Shreyanka Patil, Asha Sobhana, Shradda Pokharkar, Renuka Singh.

DELHI CAPITALS: Meg Lanning (c), Shafali Verma, Alice Capsey, Jemimah Rodrigues, Marizanne Kapp, Jess Jonassen, Arundhati Reddy, Taniya Bhatia, Radha Yadav, Shikha Pandey, Titas Sadhu.