Image: Sophie Devine vs Delhi Capitals – Women / © X (Twitter)
A match that produced a staggering 414 runs swung violently until the final delivery, before Sophie Devine, already the standout with the bat, delivered with the ball to snatch victory from Delhi’s grasp.
After being put in, GG piled up a daunting 209, powered almost single-handedly by Devine’s breathtaking 95 off 42 balls. She dismantled Delhi’s bowling from the outset, mixing brute force with clean striking. Her assault reached a crescendo in the sixth over when she smashed Sneh Rana for 32 runs, the most expensive over in WPL history, including four sixes and two fours. Devine brought up her fifty in just 25 balls and looked destined for a maiden WPL hundred before being caught off a clever slower ball from debutant Nandani Sharma.
Delhi clawed their way back late, thanks to Nandani’s hat-trick, the first by an uncapped player in WPL history, which restricted GG from what could have been a far bigger total. Still, 209 felt more than enough, but Delhi had other ideas.
Lizelle Lee made an immediate impact after being dropped early, smashing her way to 86 to keep DC in the chase. Laura Wolvaardt played the perfect foil before taking over after Lee’s dismissal, anchoring the innings with poise and timing. With the equation at 60 off 24, DC still seemed behind, but Wolvaardt exploded against Ashleigh Gardner in the 18th over, hitting three fours and a six to bring it down to 48 off 18.
The momentum swung sharply when Kashvee Gautam bowled two no-balls in the 19th over, and Wolvaardt punished the errors, leaving DC needing seven from six balls, a situation heavily in their favour. But Devine wasn’t finished.
Having already bowled two expensive overs, she returned for the final one and delivered a masterclass in pressure bowling. First, she had Jemimah Rodrigues glove a slower ball behind. Then she tied down Marizanne Kapp, conceding just a single from two deliveries. With five required from two, Wolvaardt attempted to finish the game but was caught at deep midwicket, silencing the DC dugout. Sneh Rana failed to connect with the final ball, sealing a dramatic four-run win for GG.
It was a complete performance from Devine, brutal with the bat, ice-cold with the ball, that ensured Gujarat Giants topped the table with their second straight victory, while Delhi slipped to their second consecutive loss.