Delhi Capitals were left stuttering in the blink of an eye after Sophie Molineux scripted a dream over, picking three wickets for just one run.
Delhi Capitals on Sunday made a blistering start in the final of the 2024 edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi against Royal Challengers Bangalore. Openers Shafali Verma and Meg Lanning launched an onslaught against the RCB bowlers, which included a 19-run over against Renuka Thakur as the pair stitched a 64-run stand with the Indian nearing her fifty. But Delhi were left stuttering in the blink of an eye after Sophie Molineux scripted a dream over, picking three wickets for just one run.
Sophie Molineux picked up three wickets in one over against DC in WPL 2024 final
Verma and Lanning brought up the fifty for Delhi in the fifth over after the former smashed Ellyse Perry for a six and a boundary and amassed 61 runs at the end of the powerplay. However, their impressive start was put to a halt by Australia’s Molineux, who dismissed Verma in the first ball of the eighth over before dismissing Jemimah Rodrigues and Alice Capsey in successive deliveries.
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Verma, on 44, looked for the glory shot to bring up her fifty as she went on backfoot for the slog against the tossed-up delivery, but holed it out to Wareham at deep mid-wicket. A delivery later, the left-arm spinner bowled Rodrigues with a lovely bit of deception before getting rid of Capsey, who pre-empted the lap sweep and shuffled a long way across.
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Marizanne Kapp, however, denied Molineux the hat-trick and later secured a single in the final ball of the over, but the damage was done already. From 64 for 0 at the end of seven overs, DC were reduced to 65 for three.
Delhi, who are into their second WPL final, having lost to Mumbai Indians last year, were left clueless thereafter as the home team lost three more wickets for just 16 runs. Asha Sobhana, who had bowled a sensational last over against MI in the Eliminator tie to help RCB reach their maiden WPL final, picked up two wickets while Shreyanka Patil dismissed DC skipper Lanning.