DC vs MI, WPL 2025 Highlights: Lanning fifty helps Delhi Capitals canter to 9-wicket win vs Mumbai Indians
DC vs MI, WPL 2025 Highlights: Lanning fifty helps Delhi Capitals canter to 9-wicket win vs Mumbai Indians
A captain’s knock: 60 runs off 49 balls, 9 fours, Strike rate: 122.44
Three to win for DC. 36 balls to get it. Talk about comfort.
Sanskriti Gupta will oversee the end of this game. Jemi swings low and misses. Dot ball. Jemi then nudges the ball to midwicket for a quick single. There it is! Done. Lanning runs the two to finish the game. Guided the ball through midwicket. Poker faced even though Jemi was fist-pumping at the other end.
DC win by nine wickets.
10 runs needed. Is this the end? Matthews is back on the field and back into the attack. Two runs to begin this over. Nine needed for a win now. Lanning will want to finish this game in this over. She can manage only a single through backward square leg. Single for Jemi through midwicket. Matthews goes fuller. Lanning tries to sweep and misses. It’s been judged wide. She slaps the ball through leg off the next ball. Only four needed now. Jemi can finish this in one shot. Two balls left in this over. Matthews goes a bit high, nice change from the West Indian. Just a single through leg side. Umpire signals ‘one over the shoulder.’ Dot for Lanning. This will have to wait for the 15th over.
Can DC wrap up this chase within the 15th over? Jinti gets a bowl now and is smacked for FOUR straight up by Lanning. Width from Jinti and short too and she gets on one knee to guide this through third man for FOUR. She gets to her fifty, second of the season. Sourav Ganguly stands and applauds Lanning! Her eighth in WPL history, most for any individual, overtaking Ellyse Perry’s haul of 7.
Amanjot continues. Dot to start. Stump to stump bowling is the way to go for Amanjot. She then gets a single through deep point, working on a back of the length delivery from Amanjot. Jemi nudges the ball to long on for a single. Lanning flicks off the pads to square leg for a single. Strike rotation in play as Jemi flicks the ball in the same direction for a single. Single to Lanning again. Five runs from the over.
Sanskriti Gupta into the attack now. And she will get a trademark onside FOUR from Lanning as her welcome gift. Beautiful shot from Lanning. She then goes down on one knee to send the ball to backward square leg. Just a single. Goes full to Jemimah who brings down the full face of the bat as she pushes the ball to mid off for a single. Dot ball follows. Jemi whips out the COVER DRIVE. FOUR. 100 comes up for Delhi Capitals.
Amanjot the new bowler. Keeps the stumps in play. Tries to squeeze this pair for space. After three singles, Amanjot gets a breakthrough, with Shafali Verma holing out to Amelia Kerr at deep midwicket. Not enough elevation for the DC opener. Nothing too hard about the ball, was in her slot. She will not be happy with that.
WICKET Shafali Verma c Kerr b AB Kaur 43 (28b 4×4 3×6) SR: 153.57
In comes Jemimah Rodrigues and she is off the mark in style. Sent through to the fence down third man.
Kerr in for a second over and is welcomed with a BIG SIX over the cover fence by Shafali Verma. She gave Shafali room outside off and pays the price.
Hayley Matthews has left the field. Nadine de Klerk the substitute. Shafali doesn’t care. She wants to head home and sleep. She goes big over the ground for SIX. Lovely use of the feet. Dot ball follows. Shafali nudges the ball to midwicket for a single. Single for Lanning too. 14 runs come off this over.
Mumbai wants a wicket and have brought in Ismail. Angling in to Shafali. Dot. She hits the deck hard vs Shafali who is waiting on the backfoot to nudge the ball away for a single. Lanning stamps her class as she stands up tall and goes through point and backward point for FOUR. Width on offer from Ismail. Marvellous bat speed from Lanning. A batting clinic from the Aussie legend. She wanted more of that, but three dots follow. Just the five runs from this over.
Amelia Kerr replaces Ismail. Single for Lanning to begin, Amanjot being athletic to stop it from going any further. Shafali Verma finds the gap, splits the field as she plays on the backfoot. RESULT: FOUR. Two dot balls follow. Shafali keeps going through leg time and again. Single. Not the prettiest of shots. But it won’t faze the youngster. Melie Kerr whips out the googly. Safely negotiated by Lanning.
Hayley Matthews into the attack to finish the PowerPlay. Dot to start. Angles the next one into Lanning who swishes off through fine leg for FOUR. She then punches Matthews through point for FOUR. Lovely batting. Matthews changes her angle a bit and Lanning tries to sweep, but there’s a fielder fine for her. Lanning then takes a single through backward square leg. Dot to end. Mumbai takes a timeout.
Ismail in for her third. Defended by Lanning. Another dot. And then Lanning shows her class. On drive for FOUR. Ismail then gives Lanning some width. Lanning cuts for FOUR through backward point and gully. Vintage! But Ismail varies her pace and beats Lanning. A reminder to stay humble from one legend to another! What a contest! A single more and nine runs come off this over.
NSB continues. A dot ball to start. Shafali then tries to go big but that’s an odd shot. No timing or placement. Just two runs run quickly. She does better off the next ball as she gets more power and speed on that contact as she sends it over square leg for SIX. She’ll go again, this time down the ground for FOUR. CLUBBED AN OFF CUTTER!! NSB goes short but very slow. Not enough for Shafali to work with. Shafali then slams NSB over long on for a FOUR. Bounced just before the padding. 16 RUNS FROM THIS OVER.
Ismail continues. Two slips in place for Lanning. Two dots to begin. Lanning will remember how Ismail set her up in the first fixture. Lanning finally finds a single through backward point. Dot to Shafali. Angling in is Shabnim. SPICE FROM ISMAIL TO LANNING. Goes to the 120kmphs to Lanning who pulls out of a shot in the last minute. What a match-up! Only two runs from this over. Imperious!
Nat Sciver-Brunt comes in at the other end. Raps Shafali on the pads first up. Two dots to begin the over. Sciver-Brunt goes short and it goes above Shafali. Beats Shafali, beats a stretched Yastika and runs away for FOUR. Very odd bouncer that. Shafali then swipes the ball to midwicket. Big calls for catch but it will land short. Single. Sciver-Brunt angled the ball into Lanning who swatted it late to square leg for another single. NSB continues to angle it into the leg stump but high. Shafali tries to flick it but the ball goes off her thigh and runs away fine for FOUR. Dot ball to finish. 11 runs from this over.
Shafali Verma and Meg Lanning walk out to the middle. Shabnim Ismail will start the defence for MI. She will have Lanning in mind. Early drama in this chase. LBW appeal. Lanning survives the umpire. MI review, impact outside. MI lose review. Lanning survives. Couple of singles pass. Lanning then drives Ismail and beats two fielders to get her first boundary. Goes through Kerr as point and a diving Amanjot. Lanning then pierces the gap between slip and gully for another boundary. 10 runs from the over. Identical to MI’s start.
Savour some supreme athleticism
Season after season, Delhi Capitals’ fielding has put it above the rest by a huge margin. It has been incredible to watch how many runs Delhi has saved with their clinical performances on the field.
Sutherland to finish. Amanjot cheekily flips the bad and pushes the ball past first slip for FOUR. Sutherland changes her pace for the next one, forcing a single. Brings Jintimani Kalita on strike now. Dot ball. Wide conceded after for being too high. DC reviews the wide. A LONG REVIEW FOLLOWS to determine is the wide stands or not. WIDE STAYS. A bye stolen. Quick running from Amanjot and Jinti.
Amanjot picks the line out and tries to go big in swatting it to leg. Just a single. Jinti to face the last ball. Jinti misses in trying to fashion something. Amanjot has run to the other side by the time she can decide to do anything. Bryce sends the ball to Sutherland who whips the bails off. Jinti is short. Mumbai loses its ninth wicket. DC needs 124 to win.
Minnu continues. What can Mumbai do in the 12 balls remaining? Amanjot creates a shot here, goes across the crease and then swats the ball over to fine leg for FOUR. Amanjot continues to go fine down leg side. Single this time. Sanskriti tries to pull this away. Single again down square leg. Amanjot shoots the ball over Lanning at cover. Lanning gets a finger on it I think, which takes off some of the pace. Three runs. Sanskriti connects well off the last ball but holes out to Jemimah Rodrigues on the ropes at midwicket. She whips out her floss! LIVE WIRE JEMI!
WICKET Sanskriti Gupta c Rodrigues b Mani 3 (4b 0x4 0x6) SR: 75
Jonassen to bowl out.
Sutherland covered 28m to take that catch. Dove too. What an athlete!
Dot and single to begin. Kamalini is swinging away at everything looking to find the runs. The desperation is written on her face. Tries to go big and ends up edging the ball to the stumps. Kamalini has to walk back.
WICKET G Kamalini b Jonassen 1 (5b 0x4 0x6) SR: 20
Sanskriti Gupta is the new batter. A single to finish the over. Four runs off it.
Minnu Mani returns and will remove her state mate Sajana. Full and wide outside off. Sajana tried desperately to make something of this ball. Lanning was waiting at cover to catch that ball. No mistake.
WICKET Sajeevan Sajana c Lanning b Mani 5 (8b 0x4 0x6) SR: 62.5
Amanjot is the new batter. Good depth for MI, but no one is able to get going. Can Amanjot do something different here?
Minnu will get her second of the night with a scintillating catch from Annabel Sutherland to dismiss Melie Kerr! SENSATIONAL! Minnu runs all the way to long on to give Sutherland a big hug. The kind of wicket that should reflect against the fielder’s name too, this one!
WICKET Amelia Kerr c Sutherland b Mani 17 (18b 2×4 0x6) SR: 94.44
Kamalini is the new batter and tries to slog sweep right away. No luck. Two dots follow. One run and two wickets from this over. Insane from Minnu, insane from DC!
Sutherland continues. Sajana is beaten for pace off that first ball. She’s trying to break free. A hasty single is run next. Dot follows as she beats Kerr this time on pace. Lovely carry for the Aussie pacer. Kerr then flat cuts the ball, beats Jonassen at point. FOUR RUNS. Leg bye follows courtesy a slightly off shape ball coming into Kerr who negotiates this to leg. Sajana tries to pull the ball to backward square for a few runs, but will get only the single. Team hundred comes up for MI. Seven runs have come off the over.
Shikha to bowl out. Two singles and then Melie Kerr manages to release the pressure with a boundary through midwicket. Went down on one knee and swatted this to the fence. No protection. Shikha then corrects to a wider outside off offering. Melie who is targetting legside is beaten. She then angles it into Melie who runs a single courtesy a nudge through midwicket. Eight runs from this over.
Shikha ends with 1/16 from four overs.
Jonassen returns. Over three overs have passed since the last boundary. NSB and Melie Kerr deal in singles for the time being. SOFT DISMISSAL AS JESS JONASSEN GETS NAT SCIVER-BRUNT OFF HER OWN BOWLING. Ball dropped on her a bit there. She was struggling today and is now off to the dugout.
WICKET Nat Sciver-Brunt c & b Jonassen 18 (22b 2×4 0x6) SR: 81.81
Lowest score of the season for NSB. Sajana is the new batter now. Just four runs from the over plus the all important wicket of the English allrounder.
Delhi has done well to keep Mumbai at the six runs an over mark. Let’s see if that changes in the final stages. Shikha Pandey comes in for her third. Dot ball. 70 dots this season for Shikha. Phenomenal numbers. Brilliant piece of fielding by Minnu Mani. A one-handed effort to stop the ball from racing away for four at backward point. Praise from the fielders nearby, Jonassen the player. Fantastic from the Delhi unit so far.
Just two runs from this Shikha Pandey over. Imperious.
Minnu Mani into the attack now. Three singles and a double conceded so far. That included an acrobatic effort from Sutherland by the ropes to deny MI a boundary. Six runs come off the over.
Jonassen returns. Starts with a wide. NSB then sweeps to play across the stumps to get a boundary! She then sends the ball through midwicket for a single. This partnership is looking dangerous for the Delhi Capitals who are desperate for a wicket. LBW APPEAL now for Harman. Jonassen goes into Harman’s pads. We see no bat involved. The replays show Harman is trapped plumb! BIG BREAKTHROUGH FOR DC! You can never ever count of Jessica Jonassen in a pressure situation.
WICKET Harmanpreet Kaur lbw b Jonassen 22 (16b 2×4 1×6) SR: 137.5
Amelia Kerr is the new batter. Two dots to end the over. Good over for Jonassen.
Titas Sadhu returns. Edged and runs off for FOUR through third man. Sadhu then seemingly concedes a wide but turns out it’s a no ball. A free hit will follow. That ball lost its shape as it made its way to the other side. Slows the pace down a bit giving NSB nothing to work with. Just manages to guide it to leg for a single. Just when the youngster would have been thanking her stars, Harmanpreet Kaur reminds her of who she is dealing with. Lovely swing over long on for SIX. Length ball. Crisp technique from the MI skipper. Textbook six this. Lovely on the eye. Couple of singles follow. OH HOW ABOUT THAT! Fantastic from Harmanpreet Kaur. Flicks it to square leg for FOUR. Looked so effortless. Titas Sadhu being schooled here. 18 runs come off the over. Big one for MI. Can it change the course of the innings?
Sutherland returns. Harmanpreet tries to go big, doesn’t get the distance. Lands safely with two fielders in pursuit. Couple of runs. Same result again, this time with a cut of the ball through third man. The second room coming due to the over throw. Shikha apologises as we see Meg glaring at her fielder. Sutherland goes into the right hander again and NSB defends for a dot ball. Sutherland has been good so far this season, in contention for the purple cap. NSB now angles the ball square of the wicket for a single. Yet another ball going into the batter. Test match discipline almost. Dot. Time for the first timeout of the game.
More pace. Titas Sadhu into the attack now. Begins with a short delivery. Sciver-Brunt nudges it away for a single down third man. Two dots follow. Titas then drifts the ball outside off and Harmanpreet reaches for it. Ball takes the edge and runs away between Sarah Bryce and Lanning at slip. LUCKY. FOUR. Harman then runs a single nudging the ball down fine leg. A dot to finish. Six runs from this Titas over for MI.
Annabel Sutherland into the attack now. Begins with a dot. Suddenly, the runs are drying up for MI after a blistering start. AND IT WORKS. Matthews holes out to Shafali. Hayley tries to go big must miscues the shot and Shafali completes the catch. Fantastic from DC. Harmanpreet Kaur comes in. Just two runs from this over for MI.
WICKET Hayley Matthews c Shafali Verma b Sutherland 22 (25b 4×4 0x6) SR: 88
Shikha Pandey to finish the PowerPlay. Begins with a dot ball, going into the lefthander. Yastika is beaten again, swings and misses off Shikha Pandey. The experienced Indian pacer gets her wicket as she draws the outside edge which is collected by Sarah Bryce. Time and again, Shikha delivers!
WICKET Yastika Bhatia c †Bryce b Pandey 11 (10b 1×4 1×6) SR: 110
That brings Nat Sciver-Brunt to the crease. Three dots to end the over. Good work from Shikha Pandey. Wicket maiden for the veteran.
Kapp returns. Caught behind appeal up front as the ball brushes Hayley’s thigh as it goes to Sarah Bryce. Time has run out to appeal if they want to investigate further. Matthews shuts up DC with a solid drive through the off side for FOUR. How good is she to watch! Half volley from Kapp. Needs to be tighter. She goes fuller once more giving Hayley some width but Hayley drives it to the cover fielder. Another dot ball for Hayley as Yastika denies a risky run. Another dot follows with reinforcements to keep the batters in their creases. Back of the length again from Kapp. Matthews cuts it to backward point but no run. Just the four runs from the over.
Spin now. Jonassen in. Hayley Matthews picks the gap through point. She goes on the backfoot and makes room to then send the ball racing to the ropes. She then swivels and pulls the ball through square leg for four. Good footwork from Hayley. Eight runs off two balls for Jonassen. The Aussie tries to tempt Jonassen with a tossed up delivery to see if Hayley will bite the bait. Doesn’t.
Back of a length ball to Matthews next who sends it again to the square leg region. Marizanne Kapp and Jemimah Rodrigues nearly collide in trying to stop the ball from reaching the fence. Very lucky to avoid a collision here, this pair. Jonassen then goes full targetting the leg stump. It’s missed Hayley and goes to Sarah Bryce who quickly dislodges the stumps. Hayley’s foot is inside the line. Seems safe. No harm done. NOT OUT
Kapp continues. Swing in play. Hayley tries to connect and misses. Two outswingers in a row to Hayley Matthews. Makings of a set up? OH JAFFA! Hayley brings the bat down and misses and Marizanne can’t helpt but smile! Look at those variations.
Misfield by Jess Jonassen at backward point. Helps Matthews run the single and get off strike. Kappie won’t be happy with losing her prey. Right on the pads to Yastika and she swishes the bat as interception to get the ball to leg to run the single – leg bye. Another quick awkward single from Hayley to finish the over.
In comes Shikha Pandey from the other end. Dot. Nice in swing there on a good length delivery. She then raps Hayley Matthews on the pads with a ball going into the right hander. Big appeal and the umpire raises the finger. Hayley reviews immediately. Is there bat involved? Flatline as the ball passes the bat. Now to see if it’s perhaps straying pass leg stump. YES! The wickets are missing. Successful review for MI. Hayley Matthews survives! Charlotte Edwards is guffawing from the dugout. Why shouldn’t she?
Shikha goes again and angles the ball into Hayley yet again. She botches the flick yet again but gets the single. Marginal outswinger next from Shikha for left-hander Yastika. Defended with a straight bat. She swings and misses off the next ball. Shikha then goes full to Yastika who picks up the ball and smacks it to the midwicket fence for six.
Yastika Bhatia and Hayley Matthews take strike. Marizanne Kapp opens the bowling.
Yastika welcomes Marizanne’s short-pitched delivery with a pull to legside for FOUR. Marizanne drags the length back a bit in the next ball and Yastika is happy to settle for a single. Some late swing for Kappie. But the torment continues. Hayley Matthews times the ball to perfection to pierce the field between point and cover for FOUR. She tries to replicate that shot but it’s fielded. Hayley was ready on the backfoot to drive the ball to the fence. Kapp needs to be careful about allowing Hayley room.
Another back of the length ball. Inside edge and Matthews runs for a single. Dot for Yastika to finish the over. 10 runs off it for MI.
Judging by the start, we’re in for a high-scoring game.
Mumbai Indians Women (Playing XI): Hayley Matthews, Yastika Bhatia(w), Nat Sciver-Brunt, Harmanpreet Kaur(c), Amelia Kerr, Amanjot Kaur, Sajeevan Sajana, G Kamalini, Sanskriti Gupta, Shabnim Ismail, Jintimani Kalita
Delhi Capitals Women (Playing XI): Meg Lanning(c), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Annabel Sutherland, Marizanne Kapp, Jess Jonassen, Sarah Bryce(w), Niki Prasad, Shikha Pandey, Minnu Mani, Titas Sadhu
DC and MI have met five times in the WPL, with Mumbai enjoying a slender 3-2 lead. This is their return fixture, following Delhi’s thrilling two-wicket win in Vadodara, where it chased Mumbai’s total in the last over.
Same strip that hosted the Super Over. Mithali Raj says that a bit of the grass has been shaved off. Is a bit dry in patches so expect spinners to come in. Mumbai will be licking its lips in that department.
We’re okay to bat first. There were some 170-180 scores on this. We want to enjoy our cricket. Good to see good performances from our batters. We want to continue the rhythm.
Whenever we play brave cricket against them, we get positive results. That’s the plan
Meg Lanning wins the toss and opts to chase, says she is sticking with the trends of the venue. She says she is looking at the games one at a time and doesn’t want to get too far ahead of herself.
“We’ve got great depth and we don’t rely on 1-2 players. T20 cricket is such that sometimes it’s your day and sometimes it isn’t.”
No changes for DC.
Almost two weeks back, Delhi Capitals (DC) and Mumbai Indians (MI) gave the Women’s Premier League (WPL) faithful a match for the ages after Arundhati Reddy ran for her life and won DC the match on the final ball.
On Friday, both sides meet again for the reverse fixture at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru with both MI and DC sitting first and second, respectively, in the standings as of February 27.
It’s table topper + number 2 in action in Bengaluru. A repeat of the season 1 final. Two of the best teams in the league consistently season after season. We’re in for a thriller in Bengaluru and since it’s a Friday night, I completely expect it to be a full house too! Stay with us for coverage of the Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Capitals game at the Chinnaswamy tonight.
Published on Feb 28, 2025
