MI-W vs DC-W Match Report: Arundhati Reddy Snatched Victory for DC on the Last Ball in a Thrilling Encounter
In an absolute nail-biter, Delhi Capitals stumbled multiple times on their way to the target but eventually just got over the line with 2 wickets in hand and opened their account in their first game pipping Mumbai Indians as fans got their money’s worth on February 15 at the Kotambi Stadium, Vadodara leaving visuals of contrasting emotions on either camp.
Arundhati Reddy’s Dive Seals a Last-Ball Thriller for Delhi
After winning the toss, DC skipper Meg Lanning decided to field mentioning that her side wanted to take advantage of the dew in the second innings. MI was rocked early with the bat and lost both their openers cheaply to Shikha Pandey inside the first 5 overs. Nat Sciver-Brunt and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur got them back on track with a 73-run partnership in less than 7 overs and it looked like MI were targeting 200.
However, things took a drastic turn as the partnership was broken by Annabel Sutherland which triggered a collapse as MI got bowled out for 164 with Sutherland triggering claiming a 3-wicket haul. In the end, Mumbai Indians failed to bat out their full quota of 20 overs and were bowled out in 19.1 overs as Nat Sciver-Brunt was stranded at one end on 80*.
Chasing 165, Delhi Capitals blazed off courtesy of a whirlwind 18-ball 43 from Shafali Verma who got out at the fag end of the powerplay. 60/0 quickly became 76/4 and then 109/5 as Capitals slipped up losing wickets regularly with the Mumbai Indians chipping away.
Also Read: GG W vs RCB W: Richa Ghosh’s Heroics Lead Bengaluru to Chase Down 200+ in Just 18 Overs
What seemed like a comfortable chase turned into a tricky one as the run-rate climbed steeply towards the end and it took an extremely sensible knock of 35 from debutant Niki Prasad and a 10-ball 21 cameo from Sarah Bryce take the Capitals on the brink but there was more drama as Niki holed out on the penultimate ball and they needed 2 off the final ball. Arundhati Reddy chipped one just over cover off her first ball and ran hell for leather and pulled out a big dive in the end to just get herself and her team home. Thus, Delhi Capitals have now started their season with a win while Mumbai Indians have begun with a loss.
MI-W vs DC-W Player of The Match: Niki Prasad
MI-W vs DC-W Key Performances
• Nat Sciver-Brunt (MI): A prolific all-round show from the Englishwoman, firstly remaining not out on 80* off 59 with the bat and then getting the crucial wicket of Annabel Sutherland with the ball.
• Niki Prasad (DC): In a tense run chase, while wickets kept falling around her, India U19 winning captain and WPL debutant displayed remarkable calmness and composure with a crucial 35 off 33 before getting out on the second-last ball. Her knock was a big reason why DC won this game.
• Shafali Verma (DC): The opener provided a blistering start to the Capitals in the run-chase blasting away 43 runs off just 18 balls at the top.
• Shabnam Ismail (MI): Bowled four overs on the trot right at the start of the run chase and finished with figures of 1/18 with a crucial wicket of Meg Lanning.