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AAP
Sport
Ian Chadband

The orange cap still fits Meg Lanning in India's WPL

Meg Lanning has extended her lead at the top of the run-scoring charts in India's WPL. (Simon Sturzaker/AAP PHOTOS) (AAP)

Meg Lanning evidently feels a bit self-conscious about wearing the orange cap that identifies the leading run-scorer in the Women's Premier League - but she just can't seemingly take it off.

Australia's inspiring captain added another unbeaten 21 runs to her tournament-leading tally in Delhi Capitals' crushing 10-wicket victory over Gujarat Giants at Mumbai's DY Patil Stadium on Saturday.

Yet even Lanning was happy to play a very distant second fiddle to the virtuoso knock of her teenage opening partner, Shafali Verma.

After her bowlers had throttled the Giants, keeping them to 9-105, Lanning could only lean back and admire the thrilling batting at the other end as the 19-year-old Verma raced to an unbeaten 76, blitzing five sixes and 10 fours in 28 balls of carnage.

It enabled the duo, the most successful opening pair in the tournament, to reach 107 off just 7.1 overs as the Capitals moved to second in the table with six points, the same as leaders Mumbai Indians, who have the superior net run-rate.

Verma is now second in the run charts behind Lanning, who grinned after her previous match that she felt "a bit silly" in the orange cap.

After their latest win, though, she's still out in front with 206 runs at an average of 68.67, with Verma on 179 at 59.67.

"Shafali certainly looked as if she was (trying to make sure she caught an early flight)" Lanning laughed.

"That was a pretty cool show to watch from the other end. I was just cheerleading from the non-strikers' end. Some pretty clean hitting, some of the best I've seen, a pretty amazing performance."

Typically, though, Lanning didn't mention, until asked at the post-match presentation, her simple words of advice to the youngster before the super show.

"I did say to her, 'just keep it simple, stay still and hit the ball straight' - and that's exactly what she did," admitted Lanning, who may come to rue that tip with Verma set to torment Australia's bowlers for years to come.

On Saturday, it was Ash Gardner, the Giants' Aussie allrounder who got the treatment, with Verma hitting her for 4, 4 and 6 before Lanning took a couple more fours off the last two balls.

That sole over went for 23 runs in all and Gardner, the joint-highest overseas earner in the WPL, also got a golden duck for the second time in the competition, which is not what the Giants paid $558,000 for.

Gardner was one of Marizanne Kapp's five victims, the ever-competitive South African pipping Verma for player of the match with her 5-15.

For the Giants, who at one stage were 6-33, Australian pair Kim Garth (32no off 37) and Georgia Wareham (22 off 25) at least provided a partial salvage job before the Verma show brought the house down.

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