Harleen Deol slammed a match-winning 70. Photo: BCCI
Harleen Deol’s unbeaten 70 runs off 49 deliveries took her side home as Gujarat Giants scored 178/5 in 19.3 overs to seal a five-wicket win over Delhi Capitals in Match 17 of the Women's Premier League (WPL) 2025 at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium here on Friday.
With this result, the UP Warriorz have been eliminated from playoff contention. The Gujarat Giants, on the other hand, will need to win their final game to secure qualification.
After having conceded 177 in the first innings, thanks to a brilliant 92-run innings by Meg Lanning, the Giants faced a massive setback at the beginning of their chase as Dayalan Hemalatha was sent back to the dugout on the first ball of the second over. With one wicket down, Deol and Beth Mooney had to face the power-play overs with patience and grit.
After starting slowly at 15/1 after four overs, Mooney and Harleen combined for five boundaries in the next two overs. Titas Sadhu missed out on an opportunity to dismiss Harleen via run out when they tried to take a quick single, but the fast bowler missed the stumps at the batting end.
Minnu Mani got the important wicket of Mooney when the Aussie power-hitter tried to step out and hit her over long-off but found the fielder at long-on. Skipper Ashleigh Gardner looked to be continuing her fine form, having scored one boundary and two sixes before losing her wicket to Shikha Pandey.
Deandra Dottin also joined the onslaught and helped her side gain control over the game with a quick cameo of 24 runs in 10 deliveries, with two boundaries and sixes each. Jess Jonassen pulled the Capitals back into the contest by dismissing Dottin and Phoebe Litchfield on consecutive deliveries in the 18th over, but by then, the damage was done as Harleen raced her side over the finish line with three balls to spare.
In the first innings, Lanning scored her highest-ever WPL score of 92, leading Delhi to a total of 177/5 in 20 overs. This knock included Lanning's ninth fifty in the tournament, making her the player with the most half-centuries in WPL history. She also reclaimed the top spot for most runs in WPL history, overtaking her fellow Australian, Ellyse Perry.
The Delhi openers got off to a flying start before Shafali Verma was eventually dismissed for 40, just 10 runs shy of a seventh WPL half-century, as she mistimed a slower delivery from Meghna Singh.
Jess Jonassen, in good form, was dismissed by Deandra Dottin, who took her third career wicket against the Australian. Jonassen missed a fuller delivery, and the ball hit the stumps. Jemimah Rodrigues continued her lean run, falling for just four runs, caught by Ashleigh Gardner off Meghna Singh's bowling.
Annabel Sutherland also failed to make an impact, dismissed by Dottin after a brilliant catch at the boundary. Lanning and Marizanne Kapp took the score past 170, but Lanning was dismissed with one ball left in the innings.
Brief scores:
Delhi Capitals 177/5 in 20 overs (Meg Lanning 92, Shafali Verma 40; Meghna Singh 3-35, Deandra Dottin 2-37) lost to Gujarat Giants 178/5 in 19.3 overs (Harleen Deol 70, Beth Mooney 44, Deandra Dottin 24; Shikha Pandey 2-31, Jess Jonassen 2-38) by five wickets
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