Delhi Capitals Secure Playoffs Berth with Dominant 9-Wicket Win Over RCB
Image credits: Delhi Capitals
The Delhi Capitals have become the first team to secure a playoffs berth in the WPL 2025 after a dominant 9-wicket win over the Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The Capitals' openers, Shafali Verma and Jess Jonassen, remained unbeaten on 80 and 61 respectively, as they mauled RCB with 4.3 overs and nine wickets in hand. RCB's over-reliance on Ellyse Perry was once again on display as she scored 60* with the only other contribution coming from Raghvi Bist (33). The loss brings an end to an awful leg for RCB, who lost all four of their games at home.
Having lost her fourth toss in a row, Smriti Mandhana and co. were put in to bat for the fourth time in Bengaluru. The trend with the new ball at the venue continued, as Marizanne Kapp and Shikha Pandey found early movement, keeping both batters on their toes. Despite Pandey beginning her spell with a freebie, which Mandhana dispatched to the boundary, the DC seamer brought her length back and beat the batter with the outswinger. She finally got Mandhana to poke at one, playing away from her body, which was safely pocketed at wide slip. The Capital city-based team then restricted RCB to 147/5 in 20 overs, with Ellyse Perry scoring 60* and Raghvi Bist contributing 33. The bowling effort from the Capitals was impressive, with Shikha Pandey and Nallapureddy Charani picking up two wickets each.
In reply, the Capitals' openers were kept at bay by the inswingers from Renuka Singh Thakur. Despite Meg Lanning surviving a couple of LBW shouts, in her attempt to break free, she miscued one to Perry at mid-on with the batting side at 5 for 1 after three overs. However, that was the only bit of solace RCB had in the game. New batting sensation at No. 3, Jonassen, and Verma took the attack to Kim Garth in the following over with three boundaries, all off the back-foot. Verma next took the attack to Renuka as she raced to 22 off just 13 balls. The partnership between Verma and Jonassen was the turning point in the game, as they put on 146 runs for the second wicket, taking the Capitals to a comfortable 9-wicket win.
The match scores were as follows:
- Royal Challengers Bengaluru 147/5 in 20 overs (Ellyse Perry 60*, Raghvi Bist 33; Shikha Pandey 2-24, Nallapureddy Charani 2-28)
- Delhi Capitals 151/1 in 15.3 overs (Shafali Verma 80*, Jess Jonassen 61*; Renuka Singh Thakur 1-28)
The Delhi Capitals will look to continue their winning streak in their next game, while RCB will aim to bounce back from their disappointing loss. The WPL 2025 has been an exciting tournament so far, with several close games and impressive performances from the players. The competition is expected to get even fiercer as the tournament progresses, with several teams still in contention for a playoffs spot.
rcb wpl royal challenger capital delhi bengaluru shafali verma cricket
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