The Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2024 witnessed a lopsided encounter in its final league stage match. While the result itself held no bearing on the standings, Delhi Capitals displayed their dominance yet again, thrashing Gujarat Giants by a convincing seven-wicket margin.
Giants Flounder Despite Late Fightback
Opting to bat first, Gujarat Giants got off to a disastrous start. Openers Beth Mooney and Jess Jonassen fell cheaply to Marizanne Kapp and D. Hemalatha respectively. Laura Wolvaardt followed soon after, caught by Shafali Verma off Kapp’s bowling.
Ashleigh Gardner and Phoebe Litchfield offered brief flickers of hope but were dismissed by Minnu Mani and Shikha Pandey respectively. The saving grace for Giants came in the form of a 68-run partnership between Bharti Fulmali and Kathryn Bryce. However, their efforts could only manage a below-par total of 126/9.
Verma Stars as Delhi Capitals Cruises to Victory
Chasing a modest target, Delhi Capitals openers Meg Lanning and Shafali Verma tore into the bowling attack. The duo put on a quickfire 31 runs inside the powerplay before Lanning departed. Alice Capsey followed suit shortly after.
However, the spotlight belonged solely to Shafali Verma. The young prodigy unleashed a flurry of boundaries, finding able support from Jemimah Rodrigues at the other end. Verma fell two runs short of her well-deserved half-century, but by then, the result was a mere formality.
Delhi Capitals completed the chase with utmost ease, securing their place in the WPL 2024 final with a dominant display and a massive 6.5 overs to spare.