Follow UsWith 10 runs needed from the last over and debutant Niki Prasad and number nine Radha Yadav at the crease, it was not the batting team Delhi Capitals (DC) but the bowling side Mumbai Indians (MI), who looked favourites to come up trumps.
But that did not happen as the Capitals beat Mumbai by two wickets to register a win by the closest of margins in Women's Premier League (WPL) history. This win at the Baroda Cricket Association (BCA) Stadium in Vadodara on February 15 (Saturday) had unlikely heroes for the Capitals.
It was Shafali Verma who gave Delhi the perfect start as she smashed 43 off just 18 balls, even as Meg Lanning, the DC captain, struggled. The opening partnership added 60 in the powerplay while chasing 165 to win.
However, once Shafali got out off a loose ball from Hayley Matthews, things turned ugly for the Capitals as they lost four wickets for just 16 runs, going from 60 for none to 76/4.
Prasad came on to bat at number six, colliding with the freefall of wickets in the Delhi innings. She added 33 in 36 balls with Alice Capsey to keep the Capitals in the chase. However, it was the introduction of Sarah Bryce, another debutant, that changed the complexion of the game.
Niki and Bryce added 31 off just 20 balls, and it was Bryce's 21 off just 10 balls that put pressure back on Mumbai while Niki continued to hold one end up.
After Bryce fell, Shikha Pandey joined Niki, with Delhi needing 25 off 15 balls to win. But Pandey showed jittery nerves as she could have been run out, not just once but twice.
However, on both occasions, Pandey’s bat was either on the line or over it while being in the air. She got lucky twice, and it was eventually run-out that got her. At the time of her dismissal, Delhi needed 18 off nine balls with three wickets in hand.
Niki was joined by Radha, who was playing at her home in Vadodara. Though she too could have almost got run out, the right-handed batter slogged her way to a six, which resulted in the target from the last over getting reduced to 10.
Niki, the Under-19 World Cup-winning captain, showed maturity beyond her age and hit a four on the first ball. With a double in the second, the equation became run-a-ball. Two more singles, and it was two to get off two. But, Niki was caught, and it was now two to get off the last ball.
Arundhati Reddy, though, showed nerves of steel and ran for his life to complete the double on the last ball and win the match for his team.
Earlier, even after Nat-Sciver Brunt got an 80 and Harmanpteet Kaur smashed 42 off just 22 balls, Mumbai were bowled out for 164 in 19.1 overs. Shikha finished with figures of 2/14 in her four overs. Minnu Mani had one wicket while going for less than six an over. But it was Annabel Sutherland who took three wickets in her 3.1-over spell.