Clinical Capitals march to WPL final

A brutal performance with bat and ball saw the Delhi Capitals march to their second successive Tata Women's Premier League final with a seven-wicket win against the battling Gujarat Giants in the final group game of the competition in Delhi on Wednesday.

Set a modest 127 to win after restricting the Giants to 126 for nine in their 20 overs, the Capitals closed out proceedings in 13.1 overs, reaching 129 for three, thanks to a sparkling 71 from 37 balls (7x4, 5x6) at the top of the order from Player of the Match Shafali Verma.

She anchored the innings with an array of devastating blows and lost her wicket with two runs needed for victory, looking for a boundary and smacking the ball straight to mid-off.

The Capitals came out with intent, Verma and skipper Meg Lanning opening with 31 in 3.1 overs before Lanning was run out for 18 and Alice Capsey fell for a duck, providing the Giants with the faintest glimmer of hope which was quickly extinguished with a 94-run third wicket partnership between Verma and Jemimah Rodrigues who was unbeaten with 38 from 28 balls.

Six bowlers were used by the Giants, the only success coming from left-arm spinner Tanuja Kanwar with 2-20 in her four overs as the other bowlers were put to the sword.

Winning the toss, Giants captain Beth Mooney opted to bat and, after she departed for a duck, the batting stuttered to 48 for five, Phoebe Litchfield's 21 from 22 balls the lone standout.

An entertaining sixth-wicket partnership of 68 from 50 balls between Kathryn Bryce who remained undefeated with 28 from 22 balls and Bharti Fulmali who fought a lone battle with 42 from 38 balls was the only highlight in a below-par batting display. Toward the end of the innings, the Giants gave away wickets, including two run-outs as they tried to up the scoring rate.

Medium-pacers Marizanne Kapp (2-17) and Shika Panday (2-23) gave nothing away in their four-over spells and were well backed up by spinners Minnu Mani (2-9) and Jess Jonassen (1-32).

This was a fitting way for the Capitals to end the group stages as they have been the dominant team in the competition. For the Giants, who finished fifth and are therefore out of the play-offs, it was a season of missed opportunities and reflections on what could have been.

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

GUJARAT GIANTS: Beth Mooney (capt, wkt), Laura Wolvaardt, Dayalan Hemalatha, Phoebe Litchfield, Ashleigh Gardner, Bharti Fulmali, Kathryn Bryce, Tanuja Kanwar, Shabnam Shakil, Meghna Singh, Mannat Kashyap