Shafali Verma scored 80 not out as Delhi Capitals achieved a dominant nine-wicket victory over Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Women’s Premier League. Chasing 148, DC reached 148/1 with 4.5 overs remaining, thanks to Verma’s aggressive 80 off 43 balls and Jess Jonassen’s 61 not out. Earlier, Ellyse Perry’s 60 not out helped RCB set a total of 147/5. This win allowed Delhi to maintain their top position in the points table with 10 points from seven matches. In contrast, RCB suffered their fourth consecutive defeat, finishing fourth in the standings with just two wins from six games.
Shafali Verma scored an impressive 80 not out, leading the Delhi Capitals to a dominant nine-wicket victory over Royal Challengers Bengaluru, marking RCB’s fourth consecutive defeat in their Women’s Premier League matchup on Saturday. Ellyse Perry contributed significantly with a solid 60 not out, helping the defending champions set a reasonable target of 147/5. However, DC’s Shafali (80 not out) and Jess Jonassen (61 not out) chased it down effortlessly.
In their pursuit of 148, DC secured the win with nine wickets remaining and 4.5 overs to spare, solidifying their top position in the WPL points table with 10 points from seven matches, which includes five victories and two losses.
Just the day before, Delhi Capitals had similarly overpowered the Mumbai Indians.
Conversely, RCB dropped to fourth place with only two wins out of six matches.
This defeat marked the third consecutive loss for Smriti Mandhana’s side at their home ground, M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Shafali continued her impressive form, reaching 80 not out off just 43 balls, including four sixes and eight fours, marking her first half-century of the season after narrowly missing out with three scores in the 40s.
She hit a magnificent six over cover off Georgia Wareham in the 13th over to bring up her fifty from 30 balls.
Meanwhile, Australia’s seasoned player Jonassen secured her second fifty of the season, hitting nine fours and one six to score 61 off just 38 balls, adding further pressure on RCB.
Earlier, Perry’s crucial 60 not out from 47 balls was vital for RCB as they reached 147 for five.
Perry not only became the top run-scorer in the third season of the WPL but also the all-time highest run-scorer in the competition, amassing 895 runs in 23 matches at an average of 63.92, surpassing Meg Lanning’s previous record of 847 runs in 25 matches.
With this innings, the Australian star also took the lead in this year’s WPL run-scoring chart with 295 runs in six matches at a stunning average of 98.33.
Perry anchored the innings, helping RCB recover from an early setback after skipper Smriti Mandhana (8) fell early, as she struck her fourth fifty of the season, scoring 60 runs featuring three sixes and three fours.
She formed strong partnerships, adding 44 runs with England’s Danni Wyatt-Hodge (21) for the second wicket, and then 68 runs with India’s Raghvi Bisht (33) to solidify the RCB innings.
Wyatt-Hodge contributed with one six and two fours, scoring 21 runs off 18 balls, while Bisht also had a productive outing with 33 runs from 32 balls, including two sixes.
For the Delhi Capitals, India’s Shikha Pandey bowled well, finishing with figures of 4-0-28-2, while uncapped Nallapureddy Charani also took 2 wickets for 28 runs in her 4 overs. Marizanne Kapp continued to impress with the new ball, registering an economical spell of 4-0-18-1.
(Aside from the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is republished from a syndicated source.)
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