WPL Season 2: Smriti Mandhana's 74 In Vain As Delhi Capitals Beat RCB By 25 Runs

WPL Season 2: Smriti Mandhana's 74 in vain as Delhi Capitals beat RCB by 25 runs (Image Source: IANS)

Skipper Smriti Mandhana: Skipper Smriti Mandhana struck a brilliant 74 for Royal Challengers Bangalore but a fine all-round performance by Jess Jonassen (35*, 3-21) and good batting by Shafali Verma and Alice Capsey helped Delhi Capitals win by 25 runs in Match 7 of the Women's Premier League (WPL) 2024 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Thursday.

Mandhana hammered 74 off 43 balls, hitting 10 boundaries and three sixes as she kept Royal Challengers in the hunt, raising 77 runs for the opening wicket partnership with Sophie Devine (23 off 17 balls).

However, a middle and lower-order collapse in which they lost five batters -- Georgia Wareham (0), Nadine de Klerk (1), Simran Bahadur (2), Sophie Molineux (1) and Asha Sobhana (0) - got out for single-digit scores as Royal Challengers were restricted to 169/9 in 20 overs, chasing Delhi Capital's score of 194/5 in 20 overs, build on an 82-run partnership between Shafali Verma (50) and Capsey (46).

Jess Jonassen claimed the wickets of Molineux, Simran Bahadur and Sobhana in her 3-21 while Marizanne Kapp (2-35) and Arundhati Reddy (2-38) claimed a couple each as Delhi Capitals got the better of RCB by 25 runs.

Earlier, Shafali Verma scored her second successive half-century, her knock of exact 50 (31b, 3x4, 4x6) and Alice Capsey’s belligerent 46 (33b, 4x4, 2x6) helped Delhi Capitals recover from the early loss of skipper Meg Lanning to post a resounding 194/5 on being asked by Royal Challengers Bangalore to bat first.

Shafali made the most of an early reprieve of a drop catch by Shreyanka Patil and took the charge against RCB, hitting Renuka Singh and Sophie Devine for a four and six.

Devine sent back Lanning for 11 (4x3) in the fifth over but Shafali found a willing partner in Alice Capsey, who pulled Devine for a four to get off the mark, as they built up a good partnership.

Shafali stepped out to hit Sophie Molineux for a six over long-on, while Capsey smashed Asha Sobhana for a couple of fours to take 11 off her first over. The duo continued their onslaught, taking Delhi to 84 for one at the halfway mark.

Shafali reached fifty with a maximum off Shreyanka in the 12th over but fell off the next delivery, caught by Georgia Wareham as she failed to put away a long hop by Shreyanka Patil.

One brought two for RCB, who pulled things back when Nadine de Klerk removed Jemimah Rodrigues on a four-ball duck before dismissing Capsey to deny her a fifty.

Marizanne Kapp hammered a 16-ball 32 while Jess Jonassen blazed an unbeaten 36 off 16 balls as they helped Delhi Capitals reach a challenging total. Sophie Devine (2-23) and Nadine de Klerk (2-35) claimed a couple of wickets each.

Brief scores:

Delhi Capitals 194/5 in 20 overs (Shafali Verma 50, Alice Capsey 46, Jess Jonassen 35 not out, Marizanne Kapp 32; Sophie Devine 2-23, Nadine de Klerk 2-35) beat Royal Challengers Bangalore 169/9 in 20 overs (Smriti Mandhana 74; Jess Jonassen 3-21, Marizanne Kapp 2-35, Arundhati Reddy 2-38) by 25 runs.