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An allround performance from Australian Jess Jonassen helped the Delhi Capitals Women to a well-earned 25-run Women’s Premier League victory over the Royal Challengers Bangalore Women at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Thursday evening.
Jonassen struck an unbeaten 36 in 16 balls to help boost the Capitals to a commanding 194 for five after RCB had won the toss and elected to bowl first. Jonassen then claimed 3-21 in four overs to help restrict RCB to 169 for nine in reply to end RCB’s unbeaten run in the competition.
The Capitals lost the early wicket of Meg Lanning (11) but Shafali Verma (50) and Alice Capsey (46) combined for an 83-run stand for the second wicket from just 43 deliveries to set Delhi on their way. Verma struck three fours and four maximums in her 31-ball innings before striking Shreyanka Patil (3-0-40-1) to Georgia Wareham on the deep-midwicket fence, going for a third-consecutive maximum.
Capsey, who faced a more sedate 33 balls, struck four boundaries and two sixes before South African Nadine de Klerk (4-0-35-2) delivered a beautiful Yorker to castle the England 19-year old. De Klerk also captured the wicket of Jemimah Rodrigues without scoring, chipping straight to mid-off.
But then Marizanne Kapp (32) and Jonassen smashed 48 runs for the fifth wicket from 22 balls to boost the Capitals hopes of closing in on the 200-run mark. Kapp was blistering, striking two fours and three sixes from 16 balls but then launched a ball from Sophie Devine (3-0-23-2) towards Simran Bahadur on the long-off fence.
Jonassen struck four boundaries and two sixes in her knock while Arundhati Reddy clubbed two fours in her four-ball unbeaten innings of 10.
In reply, Smriti Mandhana struck a superb 43-ball 74, which included 10 boundaries and three maximums to get the Royals off to a good start, sharing in an opening stand of 77 from 51 balls with Devine (3) for the first wicket.
Reddy (4-0-38-2) finally made the breakthrough, having Devine caught at mid-wicket by Jonassen. Mandhana continued on her merry way, adding 35 for the second-wicket from 21 balls with Sabbhineni Meghana (36).
Enter Kapp (4-0-35-2)! With RCB looking solid despite being behind the required run-rate, the South African allrounder clean-bowled Mandhana before having Richa Ghosh (19) caught by Jonassen at backward point.
RCB still required 57 from 29 balls and seven wickets in the bank, but then the capitulation started. Wareham (6) holed out to Capsey at long-on from Shikha Pandey (4-0-27-1) before Meghana was brilliantly run out by Taniya Bhatia, going for a second run.
De Klerk (1) was caught the very next ball, leaving RCB needing 28 runs from the final six balls. Jonassen bowled brilliantly, having Sophia Molineux (1) caught at deep mid-wicket, Bahadur (2) caught at extra-cover and then having Asha Sobhana caught at mid-on by the substitute fielder without scoring.
The win lifts Delhi to the top of the WPL table, by virtue of a better net run-rate over RCB, who drop to second, and Mumbai Indian Women – all of whom have four points from three matches. RCB next face Mumbai Indians on Saturday while Delhi take ono the Gujarat Giants on Sunday.
