Delhi Capitals have become the first team to defeat Mumbai Indians while batting first in the history of the Women's Premier League. The 2023 runners-up handed the MI side a 29-run defeat to consolidate their position at the top of the points table while pushing the defending champions down.
Led by a spectacular batting display from Meg Lanning and Jemimah Rodrigues, the Capitals racked up 192 runs in the first innings. The skipper Lanning scored her third fifty of the tournament and second on the trot as she hit 53 from 38 balls. Lanning also became the first-ever player to score 500 runs in WPL as she now has 543 runs in the tournament.
Rodrigues looked at her best. She was toying with the Mumbai bowlers in her stroke-filled 69-run knock from 33 balls. She struck three sixes and eight fours in a terrific knock that powered the Capitals to 192/4.
Mumbai in reply had an off day today, losing for the first time while chasing in the history of the tournament. Hayley Matthews made 29 from 17 balls but saw the likes of Yastika Bhatia, Nat Sciver-Brunt and Harmanpreet Kaur combining just 17 runs in 12 balls. MI never looked in the chase after losing these wickets. They were 54/4 in 5.5 overs and then went down 68/5.
Amanjot Kaur tried doing some magic but it was not to be tonight in the first game at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. Even though the MI side did not get bowled out, they managed to score just 163 from their 20 overs. The No.7 batter Amanjot was the highest-scorer at 42 speaks volumes for how poor MI were on the day. Mumbai are now pushed down to the third spot from the second place in the points table as their NRR went below RCB.
