Fluent fifties by Shafali Verma and Meg Lanning and veteran pacer Marizanne Kapp's incisive new-ball spell fashioned Delhi Capitals' smooth nine-wicket victory over UP Warriorz in their Women's Premier League match in Bengaluru on February 26.
Shafali (64 not out, 43 balls, 6x4, 4x6) and captain Lanning (51, 43 balls, 6x4) steamrolled UP bowlers in a stunning display of batting as they overhauled the target in just 14.3 overs. However, it was Kapp who laid the foundation of that win with a marvellous opening burst of 4-1-5-3 that saw the Warriorz getting restricted to 119 for nine.
Shafali, who was dropped on 48 off Deepti Sharma by Kiran Navigere, and Lanning were severe on UP bowlers from the word go.
The Indian star blasted left-arm spinner Gouhar Sultana over long-on for a six, and then tore into pacer Tahlia McGrath. Shafali first hammered the Aussie for a four through mid-wicket and then swatted the ball over the bowler's head for a six, and both the shots contained utter disdain.
She soon reached her fifty with a massive six off off-spinner Deepti that sailed over mid-wicket. Her mark came in just 36 balls.
Lanning, who mostly resorted to drives and sweeps, soon reached her own fifty in 42 balls as she darted between the wickets for a double off Sophie Ecclestone.
However, Lanning perished with just one run needed to win as her uppish shot was gobbled up by Vrinda Dinesh at backward square leg. But the dismissal was only sufficient to delay the inevitable for a couple of minutes.
Earlier, Kapp vindicated DC skipper Lanning's decision to bowl first with stupendous figures of 3 for five as she bowled her full quota in a single burst. She started her destruction job getting rid of Vrinda for a naught.
Vrinda's slice had just enough power in it to reach Shikha Pandey at deep third man.
McGrath was the next to depart as Kapp disturbed her stumps with a growler. The ball pitched on middle and off stump line and then deviated just enough to smash onto the wicket as McGrath stood all squared up.
Kapp inflicted an even bigger blow in her third over when she gave marching orders to Warriorz's captain Alyssa Healy. Healy, who made 13 off 15 balls, tried to force the pace, but her shot neither had timing nor direction as Shafali Verma completed a fine running catch over her shoulder near the circle.
The Warriorz ended the Power Play at 21 for three and they needed a massive effort to turn the flow of the game.
However, the regular fall of wickets dented Warriorz, despite Shweta Sehrawat (45, 42 balls) playing a couple of beefy shots including a slog swept six off Minnu Mani. But the total was not even enough to stretch the powerful batting line-up of the Capitals on the night.
