WPL 2024: Radha, Shafali help Delhi Capitals outplay UP Warriorz by 9 wickets

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], February 26 (ANI): Four wicket haul by Radha Yadav and half-centuries from Shafali Verma and captain Meg Lanning helped Delhi Capitals register their third consecutive win over UP Warriorz in as many matches here at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
This is DC's first win of the second season of WPL outplaying UP Warriorz by 9 wickets and 5.3 overs to spare.
Chasing a modest 120-run target Delhi Capitals got off to a flying start with skipper Meg Lanning and opener Shafali Verma batting aggressively right from the start.
Verma alongwith Lanning helped Delhi side cross 50-run mark in just 5.4 overs. To add more to UP Warriorz's wounds Verma was dropped on 48 by Kiran Navgire off Deepti Sharma's bowling.
Shafali Verma was more an aggressor of the two notching up her half-century in just 36 balls and took her team's total beyond the triple-figure mark in just 11.5 overs.
Captain Lanning too notched up her fifty in just 41 balls. After levelling the score with UP Warriorz DC lost their skipper for 51 from 43 balls by Sophie Ecclestone. But it was too little too late for UPW as Jemimah Rodrigues went on to hit the winning run to chase the 120-run target in just 14.3 overs.
Verma along with Lanning helped DC reach the 50-run mark in Put into bat first by Delhi Capitals, the Warriorz had a disappointing start as all-rounder Marizanne Kapp shook UPW's top order with three quick wickets. She removed Vrinda Dinesh for a duck and followed it up with the wicket of star Australian cricketer Tahlia McGrath for just one.
Skipper Alyssa Healy was looking good, having smashed a couple of boundaries, but Kapp had her caught by Shafali Varma for 15-ball 13. UPW was 16/3 in five overs.
Grace Harris and Shweta Sehrawat started to rebuild for UPW after three quick wickets. At the end of six overs of the powerplay, UPW was at 21/3.
Just when it seemed UPW was taking control, Radha Yadav struck, removing Grace for 17 off 18 balls, with two fours. Shafali took another catch and UPW were 40/4 in 9.5 overs.
Halfway through the innings, UPW was 40/4.UPW reached the 50-run mark in 11.3 overs.
Radha's spin put another dent on UPW's batting as she caught and bowled Kiran Navgire for just 10 runs off seven balls. UPW was 57/5 in 12 overs.
Shweta and Poonam Khemnar eased off some pressure with three boundaries in Shikha Pandey's 14th over, which gave away 14 runs.
Shweta and Poonam's promising partnership was cut short at 29 runs, with Poonam caught by Shikha at short fine leg for just 10 runs of nine balls. Arundhati Reddy got the wicket. UPW was 86/6 in 14.5 overs.
UPW reached the 100-run mark in 17.2 overs as Shweta smoked Annabel Sutherland for three boundaries. However, a stumping from Taniya ended Shweta's resilience at 45 in 42 balls, with five fours and a six. UPW was 109/7 in 17.4 overs.
Sutherland got Deepti Sharma for just five runs with a catch from Kapp and lastly, Radha completed her four-wicket haul by removing Sophie Ecclestone for just six. UPW ended their innings at 119/9 in their 20 overs.
Radha (4/20) and Kapp (3/5) broke the back of UPW's batting with their economical, wicket-heavy spells.
Brief scores: Delhi Capitals: 123/1 in 14.3 overs (Shafali Verma 64*(43), Meg Lanning 51 (43); Sophie Ecclestone 1/31) vs UP Warriorz: 119/9 in 20 overs (Shweta Sehrawat 45(42); Radha Yadav 4/20, Marizanne Kapp 3/5). (ANI)