WPL 2024: Shafali Varma's 71 runs help Delhi beat Gujarat by 7 wickets

The swashbuckling Shafali Verma led the way with a blazing 37-ball 71 as a dominant Delhi Capitals secured direct qualification into the final of the Women's Premier League 2024 with a seven-wicket win over Gujarat Giants at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Wednesday.

Table-toppers Delhi Capitals entered the game looking to bag a direct spot in the final and once their bowlers restricted Giants to 126 for nine with a disciplined show, the hosts inched closer to realising their goal.

Chasing the paltry total, Meg Lanning and Shafali Varma provided Delhi a flying start before a miscommunication broke the 31-run stand. Lanning went back to the pavilion for 10-ball 18 runs. Alice Capsey followed her skipper without troubling the scorers. 

Meanwhile, Shafali continued her power-packed innings from the other end with Jemimah Rodrigues at the other end. The duo put up an attacking 94-run stand before Shafali got out with just 3 runs to win. Shafali hit 37-ball 71 runs, hitting five sixes and seven fours.

Jemimah scored the winning runs for Delhi as she remained unbeaten on 28-ball 38 runs.

Delhi Capitals Women (T: 127 runs from 20 ovs)
BATTING		R	B	M	4s	6s	SR
Meg Lanning (c)	run out (Wolvaardt/†Mooney)	18	10	13	4	0	180
Shafali Verma	c Litchfield b Kanwar	71	37	50	7	5	191.89
Alice Capsey	c Kashyap b Kanwar	0	4	2	0	0	0
Jemimah Rodrigues	not out	38	28	35	4	1	135.71
Marizanne Kapp	not out	0	0	1	0	0	-
Extras	(w 2)	2
TOTAL	13.1 Ov (RR: 9.79)	129/3
BOWLING	O	M	R	W	ECON	0s	4s
Shabnam Shakil	2	0	15	0	7.5	6	3
Kathryn Bryce	1	0	16	0	16	2	4
Tanuja Kanwar	4	1	20	2	5	12	2
Meghna Singh	2	0	28	0	14	3	3
Ashleigh Gardner	2	0	28	0	14	2	1
Mannat Kashyap	2.1	0	22	0	10.15	3	2

Earlier, Gujarat Giants' decision to bat first backfired big time as they were reduced 12-2 in just 4 Overs. South African pacer Marizanne Kapp bowled brilliantly in the powerplay. Kapp dismissed Gujarat skipper Beth Mooney for a duck in the very first over.

Jess Jonassen joined the party as she dismissed Dayalan Hemalatha for just four runs. Gujarat's horrid run continues as Kapp got rid of Laura Wolvaardt in the fifth over with just 16 runs on board.

Experienced Australian player Ashleigh Gardner (12) and Phoebe Litchfield (21) tried to steady the sinking ship. But Gardner perished to a wonderful flighted delivery from off-spinner Mani.

The Giants were tottering at 39 for four in the ninth over and the situation became worse for them when Radha Yadav pulled off a nice catch to send back Litchfield off the bowling of Mani.

At 48 for five in the 11th over, the Giants were in a hopeless situation but Fulmali and Kathryn Bryce put on 68 runs to help the side cross 120 and give their bowlers something to defend.

If it was not for Bharati Fulmali's 36-ball 42 and Kathryn Bryce's unbeaten 28, the Giants would have finished with a much lower total.

Gujarat Giants Women (20 ovs maximum)
BATTING		R	B	M	4s	6s	SR
Laura Wolvaardt	c Shafali Verma b Kapp	7	11	17	1	0	63.63
Beth Mooney (c)†	b Kapp	0	5	4	0	0	0
Dayalan Hemalatha	b Jonassen	4	7	9	0	0	57.14
Phoebe Litchfield	c Yadav b Mani	21	22	26	2	1	95.45
Ashleigh Gardner	b Mani	12	12	16	2	0	100
Bharti Fulmali	b Pandey	42	36	38	7	0	116.66
Kathryn Bryce	not out	28	22	39	4	0	127.27
Tanuja Kanwar	b Pandey	0	1	1	0	0	0
Shabnam Shakil	run out (Shafali Verma/†Bhatia)	1	2	3	0	0	50
Meghna Singh	run out (†Bhatia/Jonassen)	4	2	1	1	0	200
Mannat Kashyap	not out	0	0	1	0	0	-
Extras	(b 1, lb 4, w 2)	7
TOTAL	20 Ov (RR: 6.30)	126/9
BOWLING	O	M	R	W	ECON	0s	4s
Marizanne Kapp	4	0	17	2	4.25	18	3
Shikha Pandey	4	0	23	2	5.75	14	4
Jess Jonassen	4	0	32	1	8	8	5
Radha Yadav	2	0	17	0	8.5	4	3
Arundhati Reddy	3	0	20	0	6.66	5	2
Minnu Mani	2	0	9	2	4.5	8	0
Alice Capsey	1	0	3	0	3	4	0