Women’s Premier League: Verma, Lanning give Delhi capital gain

Delhi Capitals thrive on Indo-Australian opening stand as RCB challenge suffers royal drubbing

NEW DELHI | Updated: 05 March, 2023 9:46 pm IST

Shafali Verma was on a roll with the bat (Photo Courtesy Twitter @wplt20)

It was virtually an open and shut case for Delhi Capitals as they thrived on a sensational century-run opening stand between two World Cup-winning skippers, Meg Lanning and Shafali Verma, to beat Royal Challengers in their opening game of the Women’s Premier League.

Australia’s World Cup-winning skipper Lanning, a formidable name in women’s cricket, and India’s U-19 World Cup-winning captain Verma added 162 runs for the opening stand as the Delhi Capitals posted 223 for two – the second-highest score in women’s T20 cricket.

Lanning slammed 14 fours in her 43-ball 72, while Verma thumped 10 fours and four sixes for her 45-ball 84 as they threatened Ellyse Perry and Alyssa Healy’s 199 for the Sydney Sixers in the 2019 edition of the WBBL.

Skipper Meg Lanning was at her best (Photo Courtesy Twitter @wplt20)

It took the experience of Heather Knight, England skipper, to finally break the partnership – and save her RCB teammate Perry’s record – with the wicket of Lanning. Knight also snuffed out Verma two balls later, but the damage was already done.

Heather Knight made her experience count, but it was too late by then (Photo Courtesy Twitter @wplt20)

South Africa’s Marizanne Kapp (39*, 17b, 3×4, 3×6) and India’s Jemimah Rodrigues (22*, 15b, 3×4) added the finishing touch with a 60-run stand for the unbroken third wicket stand at Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai.

Led by the WPL’s most expensive player, Smriti Mandhana, RCB boasted an incredible line-up that included New Zealand skipper Sophie Devine, along with Perry and Knight.

However, it was a night to forget as the only player from an Associate nation, Tara Norris, decided to make it her own.

After 18-year-old Alice Capsey accounted for both Mandhana and Devine, USA’s Norris ran through the famed RCB middle order to pick five wickets – on a surface that was good for batting – with a player of the match performance.

Tara Norris’ five wickets snuffed out the RCB’s challenge (Photo Courtesy Twitter @wplt20)

Things could have been worse after DC reduced their rivals to 96 for seven in the 14th over. But it took the experience of Knight (34, 21b, 2×4, 2×6) and Australia’s Megha Schutt (30*, 19b, 5×4) as their 54-run stand for the eighth wicket gave some respectability to the DC total.

BRIEF SCORE: Delhi Capitals 223/2 (Shafali Verma 84, Meg Lanning 72, Marizanne Kapp 39*; Heather Knight 2/40) beat Royal Challengers Bangalore 163 for 8 (Smriti Mandhana 35, Heather Knight 34, Ellyse Perry 31, Megan Schutt 30*; Tara Norris 5/29) by 60 runs