The Delhi Capitals booked their spot in the 2024 Women’s Premier League final with a commanding seven-wicket win over Gujarat Giants in the final league stage game of the tournament on Wednesday.
Opener Shafali Verma and middle order batter Jemimah Rodrigues stitched a 94-run stand for the third wicket as the Capitals chased down a modest target of 127 with a whopping 41 deliveries remaining.
The Beth Mooney-led Giants, on the other hand, slumped to yet another wooden spoon finish in the WPL.
The Gujarat Giants were never really in the contest as they were restricted to 126/9 after opting to bat first earlier in the day.
South African pacer Marizanne Kapp outfoxed Mooney in the very first over of the match and the Giants barely recovered.
They only managed a total of 23/3 in the batting powerplay as left-arm spinner Jess Jonnasen cleaned up Dayalan Hemalatha with an arm ball before Kapp had opener Laura Wolvaardt caught at mid-off.
The two Australians – Ash Gardner and Phoebe Litchfield, steadied the ship for a bit, but Minnu Mani, who was drafted into the side for this dead rubber, struck twice in two overs to send them back.
As the Giants struggled at 48/5 in the 11th over, Bharati Fulmali joined hands with Kathryn Bryce.
Fulmali, who only came into the WPL as a replacement player for an injured Harleen Deol, kept finding boundaries at regular intervals as the duo stitched a vital 68-run sixth wicket stand to help the Gujarat Giants to a respectable total.
Fulmali hit seven boundaries in her 36-ball 42 before she was scalped by Shikha Pandey in the penultimate over. Bryce, however, continued to finish unbeaten on 28.
The paltry total meant that the Delhi Capitals were never under pressure in the chase. While the young Shabnam Shakil started off well, giving away just three runs in the opening over, things changed soon after.
Captain Meg Lanning hit Bryce for four boundaries in the second over, before Verma joined the party against Shakil with three boundaries of her own in the next over.
The Capitals raced to 31/0 in just three overs with seven boundaries in a span of ten deliveries.
While Lanning’s show was cut short as she was run out despite a dive and Alice Capsey fell soon after to Tanuja Kanwer, Verma found an able partner in Rodrigues.
The duo together made a mockery of the chase and no Giants bowler was spared in the evening.
Verma, in particular, was extremly harsh on Gardner hitting her for a total of three sixes and a four in two overs, including a monster 91-metre hit.
Even as Verma brought up her half-century off just 28 deliveries, Rodrigues played the perfect second foil and kept finding boundaries at will.
Verma’s 71-run knock with seven boundaries and five sixes was eventually brought to an end with the Delhi Capitals just two runs adrift of the target.
Rodrigues (38*) then ensured that her team crossed the line with a boundary in the same over, sending the Capitals directly into the final.
