For someone who has just tuned into the WPL 2024, a cursory glance at the points table and the result of Wednesday night’s clash between Delhi Capitals and Gujarat Giants would have made appropriate sense. However, GG, who finished another poor season, came into this contest with impressive performances in their last three fixtures – two of them resulting in victories.
They were against a rampaging DC, a team that for the second season in a row qualified for the WPL final with a top-of-the-table finish courtesy of their seven-wicket triumph over GG who also replicated their last year’s performance to finish last in the five-team competition.
A quickfire half-century from Shafali Verma, the third of the season for the big-hitting opener, was the highlight of their win as they overhauled the target of 127 in just 13.1 overs for their sixth win of WPL 2024.
DC’s kickstarted their chase with their skipper clattering four fours in the second over of the chase, bowled by Kathryn Bryce. Shafali joined the fun with three fours in the following over, bowled by Shabnam Shakil. DC were off to a flier, racing to 31/0 in 3 overs.
GG then saw a glimmer of hope when DC lost two wickets in quick succession with Lanning being run out on 18 and Alice Capsey registering a duck in the over of Tanuja Kanwar.
Shafali though continued with her merrymaking, hitting sixes for fun, delighting the crowd that had assembled at the Arun Jaitely Stadium for the final league game of the season. Soon she raised her half-century, taking just 28 deliveries and threading the gap through covers for four.
Shafali and Jemimah Rodrigues (38*) then creamed Meghna Singh for 20 runs in an over to hasten the chase.
With four runs needed though, Shafali ended up holing out to mid-off, becoming Kanwar’s second victim of the night before Rodrigues finished the chase in style with a boundary off.
GG ended a miserable season with yet another batting failure on a pleasant Delhi evening, needing a miracle win to end their host’s hopes of making a direct qualification for the final.
GG opted to bat first on a pitch that was expected to help the bowlers initially considering the overcast sky and a light drizzle earlier in the evening that may have lent a hint of a spice to the conditions. GG skipper Beth Mooney explained her decision was purely based on what has worked for them: put a total on the board and then defend.
Mooney was expected to play the leading role given her late return to form that gave GG a faint hope of a revival after a horrendous start to the season saw them crashing to four defeats in a row.
Not just Mooney, GG’s top-order had started contributing regularly in their last three matches and hence the optimism. By the time the Powerplay overs ended, GG had recorded their lowest total in the phase: a sorry 23/3 that would become 48/5 in 10.2 overs.
Mooney was out for a five-ball duck, missing a flick that resulted in her being bowled off Marizanne Kapp in the very first over of the contest. Dayalan Hemalatha (4) went for a late cut off Jess Jonassen and was beaten by the pace to be bowled too in the next over. Laura Wolvaardt (7) miscued a shot to be caught at mid-off, becoming Kapp’s second victim and leaving GG struggling at 16/3.
Ashleigh Gardner’s poor season with the bat continued as Minnu Manni outwitted the Australian with an off-break to have her bowled on 12. Phoebe Litchfield stepped out to Manni and cleared the long-off for the first and only six of the GG innings before going for a repeat of the shot with the bowler firing it quicker and shortening the length to have her hole out to Radha Yadav on 21.
GG lost half their side in 62 deliveries that brought Bharti Fulmali and Bryce together.
Lanning went for the jugular and brought back Kapp for one final time but Fulmali replied with a pair of boundaries – the first one tickled to fine leg and the next cut past the diving fielder at point. In the following over, Radha Yadav was clattered for two fours as well – one each for Bryce and Fulamli.
Soon the pair raised their 50-run partnership before pushing the score into three digits. They were able to collect boundaries regularly but the frequency was not high enough to trouble the fielders.
Shikha Pandey returned for the 19th over and found herself on the brink of a hat-trick when she dislodged a well-set Fulmali on 42 and Tanuja Kanwar for a golden duck. Shabnam Shakil though dealt well with the hat-trick ball and GG took 10 runs from the final over but lost a couple of wickets too. The result was a below-par total, a performance reflective of their season.
DC then sealed their fate in the second over itself, rendering the result inconsequential when Lanning struck consecutive fours off Bryce to take the total to 11/0, three more than what GG needed to bowl them out to hand Mumbai Indians the top spot and a direct entry into the final.
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