WPL: DC finish top to seal berth in 2nd consecutive final, MI and RCB to compete in playoff

New Delhi [India]: Delhi Capitals finished the campaign on a high note following their seven-wicket win over Gujarat Giants to finish at the top of the table and qualify straight for the final of the ongoing season of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) on Wednesday.

DC finished at the top with 12 points which sent them straight to the final which will take place on Sunday. While, defending champions Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore will square off in the playoff on Friday, the winner of the match will face DC in the final of the tournament.

DC looked comfortable while chasing the target of 127, as skipper Meg Lanning spread carnage by scoring boundaries in a flurry in the powerplay.

She had to depart following a runout and Alice Capsey fell for a duck in the same over. Shafali Verma on the other end continued with her onslaught and Jemimah Rodrigues joined her at the crease to stitch up a 94-run partnership.

Varma produced one of her best-attacking performances in white ball cricket before she lost her wicket to Tanuja Kanwar.
Jemimah struck the winning runs to finish off the game with more than six overs to spare.

Earlier in the innings, for Gujarat, a 68-run partnership between Kathryn Bryce (28*) and Bharati Fulmali (42) helped Gujarat end with a fighting total. For Delhi, Kapp, Shikha and Mani returned with two wickets each while Jess Jonassen bagged one.

Put to bowl first, Marizanne Kapp and Jess Jonassen put Gujarat Giants on the back foot early – 23/3 at the end of the powerplay. Kapp drew first blood as she removed captain Beth Mooney for a duck in the first over of the game. Jonassen then sent Dayalan Hemalatha packing in the 4th over. Ash Gardner had a day off as she was out for just 12 runs, leaving her side at 39/4 after nine overs.
DC bowlers derailed Gujarat’s batting, removing Laura Wolvaardt (7), Ashleigh Gardner (12) and Minnu Mani (21) in under 10 overs of the game.

Bharati Fulmali and Kathryn Bryce then handled the charge, smashing boundaries at every opportunity they received.

neatly hit a few over the infield to get to 42 off 36 balls, before she was knocked over by a Shikha Pandey yorker.

In the 19th over, Shikha Pandey gave Gujarat back-to-back two blows, removing the well-set dangerous batter Bharati Fulmali for 42 and Tanuja Kanwar for a duck.

In the last over, GG lost their batters Shabnam Shakil and Meghna Singh to the run-outs. Bryce stayed till the end as Gujarat picked up 10 runs in the final over. Bryce, who played a vital role in taking her team’s total to a competitive score of 126/9, ended Gujarat’s inning with a boundary.

Brief score: Gujarat Giants 126/9 (Bharati Fulmali 42, Kathryn Bryce 28*, Minnu Mani 2-9) vs Delhi Capitals 129/3 (Shafali Verma 71, Jemimah Rodrigues 38*; Tanuja Kanwar 2-20).