Meg Lanning's quest to add the Women's Premier League to her trophy haul is off and running after her Delhi Capitals side demolished Alyssa Healy's UP Warriorz.
Having suffered a last-ball defeat in their opening match against defending champions Mumbai Indians, Capitals wrapped up Monday's match in Bengalaru early, winning by nine wickets with more than five overs to spare.
The only frustration for Lanning was being dismissed for a 43-ball 51 with the scores level.
The @DelhiCapitals skipper Meg Lanning brings up her fifty but departs right after!#DC just 1 run away from victory
— Women's Premier League (WPL) (@wplt20) February 26, 2024
Match Centre 💻📱https://t.co/YnKaBW7IeD#TATAWPL | #UPWvDC pic.twitter.com/IVkdNQlYcv
Set 120 to win Lanning and her regular opening partner Shafali Verma (64 not out) got off to a flier, smashing 57 off the six-over powerplay.
Tahlia McGrath was smacked for 25 off her two overs including a flat six over mid-off by Verma.
A missed stumping by Healy of Verma added to Warriorz' frustration, though with Capitals 0-92 at the time it did not affect the result. Lanning being dropped on 11 was more significant.
"It was an excellent performance from the group," said Lanning. "The bowlers set it up and it was nice to see the Shefali (Verma) show from the other end."
"We didn't get enough runs on an outfield like this against the top six they have got," said Healy. "We've just got to be better. We were outclassed completely tonight."
Earlier Lanning called right when the two Australians met at the toss, asking Healy's team to bat. Marizanne Kapp then reduced Warriorz to 3-16 after five overs
With only four overseas players allowed in the XI, and the quality of Kapp and Alice Capsey to call upon, Capitals again omitted Jess Jonassen and Laura Harris of their quartet of Aussies. Only big-money recruit Annabel Sutherland lined up alongside Lanning.
Warriorz, also beaten off the last ball in their opening game, selected all three of their Australians, Grace Harris and McGrath joining Healy.
𝙏𝙤𝙥 𝙤𝙛 𝙤𝙛𝙛 𝙨𝙩𝙪𝙢𝙥 🔥🔥
— Women's Premier League (WPL) (@wplt20) February 26, 2024
Marizanne Kapp gets Tahlia McGrath 💪#UPW three down inside the powerplay 🤯
Match Centre 💻📱https://t.co/YnKaBW7IeD#TATAWPL | #UPWvDC pic.twitter.com/5RgiH6iWzE
Tahlia McGrath fell to an unplayable delivery.
However, the trio made 31 runs between them, more than half of those by Harris (17 runs off 18 balls). Kapp (a remarkable three wickets for five runs in four overs) dismissed both Healy (13 off 15) and McGrath in the fifth over. The latter was beaten by an unplayable ball after an uncharacteristically ponderous one run off eight balls.
Sutherland's first ball was clubbed for four by Harris and the $364,000 signing continued to be treated with disrespect, teenager Shweta Sehrawat hitting her for three fours in five balls while top-scoring with a 42-ball 45.
However, Sutherland finally nabbed a wicket off her penultimate ball, Deepti Sharma caught in the deep by Kapp, enabling her to finish with 1-32 off her four overs. Lanning then took a catch off the final ball to give Radha Yadav 4-20 as Warriorz closed on 9-119.
It never looked remotely enough and so it proved.
