Harleen Deol played a match-winning innings, scoring an unbeaten 70 off 49 balls, as Gujarat Giants successfully chased down Delhi Capitals’ total of 177. The exciting match took place at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow. This victory ended the Capitals’ three-match winning streak and moved the Giants up to the second position in the league standings.
The game was full of twists and turns. Giants won the toss and decided to chase, relying on their strong batting lineup to achieve the target of 10 runs per over after the powerplay. Deol anchored one end, but despite the advantage of chasing with dew affecting the bowlers, the Giants made the chase quite tense by scoring only 38 runs in the powerplay. Initially, Deol and Beth Mooney struggled to accelerate, scoring at just above a run-a-ball even after facing a significant number of deliveries.
The chase gained momentum in the ninth over, bowled by Annabel Sutherland, where Mooney hit two boundaries and Deol added another, resulting in a 15-run over. However, the game could have swung differently if Capitals had capitalized on their chances. Deol was dropped on 27 at long-off by Shafali Verma. Later, on 34, she survived a run-out opportunity when Titas Sadhu missed a direct hit. Adding to Capitals’ woes, Sutherland later dropped a caught and bowled chance, indicating luck was not on their side.
Gujarat Giants then found crucial acceleration from Ashleigh Gardner, who scored 22 runs off just 13 balls, including two sixes against Marizanne Kapp and Sutherland.
With 55 runs needed from the last five overs, Gardner was dismissed, hitting a Shikha Pandey delivery straight to deep square leg. Deandra Dottin then took charge, hitting a six off her second ball. She followed up with a series of slog sweeps against Jess Jonassen in the 18th over, scoring four, six, and four before being caught by a fantastic diving catch from Jemimah Rodrigues for 24 runs off 10 balls.
Even when the game seemed decided, another twist occurred when Phoebe Litchfield was caught at long-on on her first ball. Giants now needed 16 runs from 12 balls, and Shikha Pandey tightened the screws, bringing the equation to 13 off 7. However, Kashvee Gautam played a critical shot, hitting the last ball of the penultimate over for a six. Harleen then secured the victory with a boundary on the first ball of the final over.
Earlier, Delhi Capitals’ innings began strongly with their dynamic opening pair, Lanning and Shafali Verma, aiming for a high score. Their 83-run partnership was characterized by powerful drives through and over the infield. After just two overs, Capitals had already scored 26 runs, with both batters showcasing aggressive strokeplay. Lanning hit three fours off Deandra Dottin, while Verma responded with two fours and a six against Kashvee Gautam.
The pair hit eight fours and a six in the powerplay, but Gujarat Giants managed to slow down the scoring rate from one end with the introduction of left-arm spinner Tanuja Kanwar. Kanwar conceded only 10 runs in her first two overs, but Capitals still reached 51 runs after six overs – marking the fifth time they had crossed 50 in the powerplay in this WPL 2025 season.
This was also Lanning and Verma’s 12th 50+ partnership in the tournament, significantly more than any other pair. The scoring rate remained high even when fielders were moved to the boundary. Lanning found a boundary against Meghna Singh, and Verma hit a six over extra cover. Verma hit another six off Ash Gardner before being dismissed for 40 off 27 balls, mistiming a slower delivery from Meghna while attempting her 50th six in WPL history.
Giants fought back with tight overs and almost dismissed Lanning in the 11th over when Harleen Deol nearly took a stunning catch, but the ball popped out after her elbows touched the ground. Lanning continued and reached her half-century off 35 balls with a six. At the other end, Jess Jonassen survived a missed stumping but couldn’t capitalize, getting bowled by Dottin in the 13th over.
Giants effectively restricted Capitals in the death overs, dismissing Jemimah Rodrigues and Annabel Sutherland cheaply. Lanning continued to push the score and came close to becoming the first WPL centurion before being bowled for 92 off the last two balls of the innings. She hit an impressive 15 fours and one six, but it ultimately wasn’t enough.
Match Summary: Delhi Capitals scored 177/5 in 20 overs (Meg Lanning 92, Shafali Verma 40; Meghna Singh 3-35) but lost to Gujarat Giants who scored 178/5 in 19.3 overs (Harleen Deol 70*, Deandra Dottin 24; Shikha Pandey 2-31) by five wickets.
