A high-scoring last-ball thriller was probably at the top of the wish list for organizers and fans alike in the lead-up to the Women's Premier League Season 2 opener. That's exactly what happened at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Friday, as defending champions Mumbai Indians defeated Delhi Capitals in a match that was a repeat of last year's final.
Delhi Capitals were in a promising position after being asked to bat first as Alice Capsey (75 off 53) knocked out the match and took 171/5. Thereafter, Mumbai Indians continued their onslaught with Jastika Bhatia and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur making their first half-century. But with five runs needed on the last ball, debutant Sajeevan Sajjana soared the ball over the ropes and helped MI to their third-highest chasing success in the short history of the WPL. .
Shah Rukh Khan led a troupe of Bollywood actors in a dance performance, giving a spectacular start to the evening. Five team captains: Harmanpreet Kaur (Michigan State), Meg Lanning (DC), Alyssa Healy (UPW), Smriti Mandhana (RCB), Beth Mooney (GG) and the BCCI top team led by president Roger Binney. , secretary Jay Shah also went on stage for a photo.
But when cricket took center stage, both teams continued to put on a great show in front of huge crowds.
South African pacer Shabnim Ismail became MI's most expensive player at the auction. INR1.2 billion and wasted no time in showing her class and experience. Shafali Verma was cleaned up early and DC were under pressure at 6/1 after three overs.
But from there, Capsey started a counterattack chasing every bowler in the MI attack. The 19-year-old, who was placed in the XI ahead of Australia's Jess Jonassen, shared 64 points with captain Meg Lanning and 74 points with Jemima Rodriguez.
What stood out about Capsey's knock was the way he used his feet. The right-handed player continued to push the ball over the infield, hitting nine fours and three sixes. Decent spells from Shabnim (1/24) and left-arm spinner Saika Ishak (0/17) ultimately proved crucial for MI.
“It's great to be back. It's a great tournament to be a part of and I'm happy to be able to contribute,” Capsey said. “I feel really fresh and in a good place to go out there and execute. I just wanted to put as much pressure on the bowlers as possible. I thought the partnership between me and Meg was really important, her is very good at keeping things calm and clear.”
Things got even worse for MI as they lost West Indies captain Hayley Matthews, who won the Player of the Year award last season, in the second ball of the chase. Marizanne Kapp hit the wicket maiden at first up and Shikha Pandey conceded just six runs in the second over.
However, just like Capsy, Yashtika Bhatia also showed the courage to go on the offensive. The keeper-batsman showed some classy strokes to release the pressure, but MI suffered another big blow as Natalie Silver-Brant, who starred in last year's final, was stuffed by Arundhati Reddy.
Jastika and Harmanpreet joined at the crease and the two added 56 runs for the third wicket before Arundhati made another breakthrough. Amelia Kerr chipped in with an 18-ball 24 but the captain needed to stay till the end for MI to get over the line.
Harmanpreet hit Annabelle Sutherland for a six off the last ball of the penultimate over to leave MI with 12 runs to survive the final over. Lanning believed in Capsey and got the job done, with the off-spinner taking away Harmanpreet to take DC to pole position. But Sajjana remained unfazed and hit a six to end an unforgettable match.
