DC thrash MI by nine wickets to jump to top of WPL table

Navi Mumbai: A breathtaking boundary-hitting show after a clinical bowling attack helped Delhi Capitals thrash Mumbai Indians by nine wickets to jump to the top of the table in the Women’s Premier League here on Monday.

South African pacer Marizanne Kapp (2/13) struck twice in two balls early on to help Delhi restrict Mumbai, who were put in to bat, to a meagre 109 for 8. Shikha Pandey and Jess Jonassen also chipped in with two wickets for DC.

Chasing a small total, the top three Delhi batters of captain Meg Lanning (32 not out off 22 balls), Shafali Verma (33 off 15 balls) and Alice Capsey (38 not out of 18 balls) competed among themselves in hitting boundaries as their side chased down the target with 66 balls remaining.

Lanning struck four boundaries and one six during her unbeaten knock, while her opening partner Verma hit six fours and one six. One-down Capsey then hoisted five sixes and one four during her blitzkrieg to take Delhi to 110 for one in nine overs.

Already in the play-offs before Monday’s match, Delhi and Mumbai now have 10 points from seven matches each. But Delhi are ahead on net run rate — plus 1.978 as against plus 1.725 of Mumbai. Delhi face UP Warriorz — who also have qualified for the play-offs — on Tuesday, while Mumbai take on Royal Challengers Bangalore — who are out of reckoning — on the same day.

Tuesday’s matches will decide which team tops the table and directly qualifies for the final. The second and third place teams will play the eliminator.

Defending a small total, Mumbai needed early wickets but Delhi openers Lanning and Shafali denied them any breakthrough till the fifth over when the latter was out for 33 off just 15 balls. Verma hit six fours — including three in the second over bowled by Issy Wong — and one six during her aggressive innings.

Lanning, who began with two fours in the first over, then took upon herself to chase down the target in a jiffy. She hoisted Wong for a six in the last ball of the powerplay.

Capsey then took over as she punished Hayley Matthews with three sixes in the seventh over before hitting Saika Ishaque to end the match.

Earlier, invited to bat in the top-of-the-table clash, Mumbai were reduced to 10 for 3 in 3.3 overs with Kapp (2/13) fetching wickets off consecutive deliveries in the third over, and they never recovered from there.

Pooja Vastrakar top-scored for Mumbai with a 26 while captain Harmanpreet Kaur and Issy Wong contributed 23 each.

The 37-run partnership for the fifth wicket between Kaur and Vastrakar was the highest for Mumbai.

Kapp first forced Yastika Bhatia (1) to edge an in-swinging delivery to wicketkeeper Taniya Bhatia before knocking off Nat Sciver-Brunt’s stumps the next ball for a first ball duck.

Kapp could not complete a hat-trick as Kaur defended solidly. But, Mumbai suffered another jolt as Hayley Matthews (5) fell the next over with the lively Jemimah Rodrigues taking a stunning one-handed catch at mid-on off the bowling of Shikha Pandey.

Mumbai were in tatters at 10 for 3 in the fourth over and they crawled to their lowest powerplay total of 19 for 3, before another blow struck them.

Introduced in the seventh over, Arundhati Reddy struck in her fifth ball, dismissing Amelia Kerr, who offered a loose shot into the hands of Bhatia behind the stumps as Mumbai wickets continued to tumble.

Vastrakar then struck a six and a four out of the blue as Mumbai took 18 runs from the 10th over to reach 46 for 4 at the halfway mark.

With Kaur needing to play sheet-anchor, Vastrakar was given the task to take risks and she had another couple of boundaries in the next over. But her stay was cut short with Jonassen dismissing her in the 12th over for 26.

Runs were hard to come by and even an in-form Kaur could not force the pace of Mumbai innings. She had a soft dismissal, trying to find a boundary with Jemimah taking the catch at deep midwicket.

Mumbai were 74 for 6 when Kaur was out and they added 35 runs in the last five overs to go past the 100-run mark.