NEW DELHI: Opener Shafali Verma played a fluent innings, scoring a fifty to guide Delhi Capitals to a formidable total of 194 for five against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in their Women's Premier League (WPL) match in Bengaluru on Thursday.
Verma (50, 31b, 3x4, 4x6) and Alice Capsey (46, 33b, 4x4, 2x6) built a solid partnership of 82 runs for the second wicket after the early loss of their skipper Meg Lanning.
Marizanne Kapp (32, 16b, 2x4, 3x6) and Jess Jonassen (36 not out, 16b, 4x4, 2x6) played remarkable innings towards the end, adding 58 runs for the fifth wicket in a little over four overs.
RCB had to rest all-rounder Ellyse Perry due to illness, bringing in Nadine de Klerk.
Verma and Capsey, after a steady start, shifted through the gears seamlessly. Verma, dropped on two by Shreyanka Patil, powered DC's innings with a four and a six off consecutive balls against left-arm spinner Sophie Molineux.
Capsey, on the other hand, displayed innovation in her shot selection, using reverse sweeps and scoops behind the stumps.
Verma reached her second fifty of the WPL with a six off off-spinner Shreyanka over mid-wicket but was dismissed the very next ball, pulling straight into the hands of Georgia Wareham at mid-wicket.
De Klerk bowled a wonderful slow yorker to dismiss Capsey, and Jemimah Rodrigues returned without contributing, causing a mini-slump for Capitals.
However, Kapp and Jonassen took on the RCB bowlers in the 14th to 18th overs, ensuring that DC finished strongly. The extra runs may prove crucial once the dew factor comes into play.
(With PTI inputs)
