Math in sports can sometimes be so absurd. The inconsequential final league game between the Delhi Capitals and Gujarat Giants had one outlandish caveat. If the Giants beat the Capitals by 118 runs, they could have stripped Delhi of a second straight final appearance, forcing them to go through the motions of the eliminator.
However, this game was not for those who wanted to watch the world burn. The Capitals sauntered to a seven-wicket win at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Wednesday to end the league stage of WPL 2024 on top of the table for the second season in a row.
DC-W vs GG-W Highlights WPL 2024
Beth Mooney opted to bat but fell to Marizanne Kapp for a five-ball duck. Jess Jonassen smashed into D. Hemalatha’s off stump, after which Kapp once again ticked her ‘two wickets in the PowerPlay’ habit, with Laura Wolvaardt holing out to Shafali Verma.
Ashleigh Gardner and Phoebe Litchfield, who have had an abysmal season with the bat per their high standards, managed positive starts but lost their bearings to Minnu Mani and Shikha Pandey, respectively. Bharti Fulmali and Kathryn Bryce’s resistance, which saw the pair stitch a 68-run stand in 50 balls, helped the team get to a subpar but respectable 126 for nine.
In response, Meg Lanning and Shafali put up a quickfire 31 in the first three overs. Shabnam Shakil, who has listed this duo in her list of dream wickets, will have to wait until next season to try again, with the openers giving her a hard taste of quality batting.
While Lanning – who usurped the Orange Cap from Deepti Sharma after crossing the 300-run mark in her second season on the trot – and Alice Capsey fell soon, Shafali dealt in boundaries, with Jemimah Rodrigues cheering her on at the other end.
She fell to Tanuja Kanwer as she sought a glory shot to finish the game. The fixture was sealed even before the chase crossed the 10th over, with Capitals eventually ending their league stage campaign with a thumping win and 6.5 overs to spare.
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