Delhi Capitals withstand Mandhana marvel

Bengaluru, February 29

Delhi Capitals braved a sensational battering from Smriti Mandhana to hand a fighting Royal Challengers Bangalore a 25-run defeat in their Women’s Premier League match here today.

}The way we bowled in the first two matches, we did not live up to our bowling. One bad game in a tournament like this… we will have to take whatever we can from this game and come back strongly — Smriti Mandhana, RCB Captain

Mandhana fused power and grace to score 74 off 43 balls but other batters did not quite make it big as RCB, who were without star all-rounder Elyse Perry, ended up at 169/9.

DC made a challenging 194/5 as Shafali Varma mustered a 31-ball 50 after they were asked to bat first.

But that total was under serious threat when Mandhana tore into the DC attack with panache.

They began in an energetic fashion as Mandhana took it upon herself the task of leading her side’s reply.

She started with two fours off pacer Marizanne Kapp (2/38) and the left-hander only stepped it up thereafter.

Mandhana faced 28 balls in the powerplay segment and hammered 45 runs as the home team reached 52/0 after six overs. Sophie Devine was a bystander to all the fun as Mandhana reached her first-ever WPL fifty in just 32 balls when she took a quick two off off-spinner Minnu Mani.

However, Kapp had the last laugh as she uprooted the off-stump with a slower delivery that beat Mandhana’s tentative swish.

Brief scores: Delhi Capitals: 194/5 in 20 overs (Shafali 50, Capsey 46; Devine 2/23); RCB: 169/9 in 20 overs (Mandhana 74; Jonassen 3/21, Kapp 2/35).