Niki Prasad of Delhi Capitals batting during match 2 of the Women’s Premier League 2025 (WPL) between The Mumbai Indians and The Delhi Capitals held at the BCA Stadium, Vadodara on the 15th February 2025.
| Photo Credit: Saikat Das

Delhi Capitals (DC) secured a thrilling two-wicket victory over Mumbai Indians (MI) in the ongoing Women’s Premier League (WPL) at Vadodara on Saturday. The match, filled with dramatic twists and turns, saw DC successfully chase down the target in a last-over finish, keeping fans on the edge of their seats.

A standout performance came from young Niki Prasad, whose crucial innings played a significant role in DC’s victory. Former West Indian cricketer Stacy-Ann King, speaking on JioHotstar, lauded Prasad’s batting display. “We saw what she could do in terms of the India Under-19 team. But she didn’t have much chance to bat because of G Trisha and of course Kamalini, who were exceptional,” King said, as quoted from a release by JioHotstar. “After she started off a little shaky, she eventually just played her shots, and it was amazing,” she added.

Prasad’s innings proved pivotal in the latter stages of the chase, as she held her nerve under pressure to guide DC to a memorable win. MI, despite their disciplined bowling effort, fell short of closing out the game, allowing DC to clinch two vital points. Coming to the match, chasing 165, DC was left 109/5 in 14.5 overs despite a fine 60-run opening stand. However, Niki Prasad and Sarah took down the equation to 10 runs off the last over despite wickets falling at other end.

With two runs needed on final ball, the pair of Arundhati Reddy and Radha Yadav completed a risky double and it was worth all the toil. After Delhi Capitals won the toss and elected to bowl first, they were off to a fine start as a low grab by skipper Meg Lanning on a Shikha Pandey delivery sent Hayley Matthews packing for a duck on the second ball. MI was 0/1.In the next over, Alice Capsey gave away 19 runs, including five runs after a four on wide, two fours from Yastika Bhatia and one boundary from Nat-Sciver Brunt.

Shikha got her second wicket in the fifth over, beating Yastika’s stumps as she was gone for 11 in nine balls. MI was 32/2 in 4.2 overs. At the end of powerplay, MI was 41/2 in six overs, with Brunt (22*) joined by skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (2*) unbeaten. With a four by Brunt, MI reached the 50-run mark in 7.1 overs. In the same over, she and Kaur hit Radha for a four and six more, looting 18 runs in total. The duo kept the run-rate up and brought up their 50-run stand in 30 balls. In 10 overs, MI were 87/2, with Brunt (45*) and Kaur (24*) unbeaten.

In the 11th over, Kaur went on a blitz against Annabel Sutherland, smashing her for three fours and a six before debutant Niki Prasad caught her, sending her back for 42 in 22 balls, with four boundaries and three sixes. MI was 105/3 in 10.5 overs.Sciver Brunt reached her fourth WPL fifty in 36 balls, with nine fours. But after that, there was one wicket falling per over from overs 14-16, leaving MI struggling at 146/6. Amelia Kerr, S Sajana and Amanjot Kaur went back to the pavilion for single digits.Sciver held the innings together, helping MI reach the 150-run mark in 16.5 overs.MI continued their implosion towards the end, bundling out for 164 runs in 19.1 overs.

Brunt was the top-scorer, with 80* in 59 balls, with 13 fours.Sutherland (3/34) was the top bowler for DC. Shikha got two while Minnu Mani and Capsey got one each.During the run-chase of 165, Delhi was off to a fine start as Shafali Varma looted 22 runs in the second over bowled by Saika Ishaque, including four boundaries and a six.In the sixth over, Shafali launched Matthews for two successive fours, bringing up the 50-run mark in 5.1 overs and a six. However, a fine catch at short mid-wicket from Amanjot meant the bowler had the last laugh.

Shafali was gone for 43 in 18 balls, with seven fours and two sixes. DC was 60/1 in 5.5 overs.In the next over, Lanning’s knock of 15 in 19 balls, with three fours was ended by Shabnim Ismail as she castled her stumps. DC was 60/2 in 6.1 overs.All-rounders Amelia and Sciver got Jemimah Rodrigues (2) and Annabel Sutherland (13) in quick succession, derailing DC’s chase, and sinking them to 76/4 in 8.5 overs.At the end of 10 overs, DC were 83/4, with Capsey (3*) and Prasad (5*) unbeaten.DC reached the 100-run mark in 13 overs, with the help of a four by Niki. An attempted loft by Capsey went into hands of Ismail at long-on, removing her at the hands of Amelia for 16 in 18 balls.

DC was 109/5 in 14.5 overs. Some hits by Prasad and Sarah Bryce helped DC bring down the equation to 21 in two overs, but Mathews had removed Bryce for 21 in 12 balls, with two fours and a six. The 19th over was a thrilling one. While Shikha was run out for three, Radha Yadav tonked the final ball for a six, bringing down the equation to 10 runs in the last over. The final over started with Niki hitting a boundary. But the dismissal of Niki on the second-last ball for 35 in 33 balls, with four boundaries, left DC with two to get on the final ball.

DC chased down the total on the last ball, with Arundhati Reddy (2*) and Radha Yadav (9*) completing a risky double. Amelia (2/21) and Mathews (2/32) were top wicket-takers for MI. Ismail, Sciver and Sajana got one each.With this victory, Delhi Capitals have strengthened their position in the league standings, while Mumbai Indians will look to bounce back in their upcoming matches. The WPL continues to deliver high-octane encounters, showcasing the rising talents of women’s cricket.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Saturday drafted in Sneh Rana as replacement for injured Shreyanka Patil for the remainder of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2025. File photo
| Photo Credit:  B. Jothi Ramalingam

Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Saturday drafted in Sneh Rana as replacement for injured Shreyanka Patil for the remainder of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2025.

Shreyanka, who has played 15 matches for RCB and has scalped 19 wickets with her off-spin, is ruled out of the third edition of tournament due to an unspecified injury.

“Challenges are tough, Shrey. But you’re tougher. We know how hard you tried to get fit before #WPL2025. And how badly you’ll miss being a part of our campaign, and we will carry your energy and spirit with us on the field as well!,” the RCB mentioned in a post on their official X account.

“Get well soon and come back stronger! Can’t wait to see you play in the Red Blue and Gold of RCB next year,” the franchise added.

Shreyanka had also missed the white ball assignments at home against the West Indies and Ireland last year because of an injury.

The 30-year-old Rana, who is an off-spin all-rounder, has previously played for Gujarat Giants in the WPL.

She has joined RCB for Rs 30 lakh.

Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru began their title defence with a six-wicket win over Gujarat Giants at Vadodara on Friday.

Delhi Capitals batter Jemimah Rodrigues. File
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

With an eye on the direct qualification to the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2024 final, the Delhi Capitals are set to take on Gujarat Giants in their last league stage match at Arun Jaitley Stadium on Wednesday.

DC are set to take on Gujarat Giants in their final WPL match and have already qualified for playoffs. With five wins and two losses and total of 10 points, DC are at the top.

Jemimah Rodrigues, who put up a Player of the Match performance of 58 off 36 balls in the team’s one-run win in the previous game against Royal Challengers Bangalore, said as quoted by a DC press release, “I just kept being honest with my work, kept working hard and at the right time it is just falling into place. I am so happy that I can contribute to the team as much as possible and I just want to keep doing that till we are in the final.”

Jemimah is the eighth-highest run-getter in WPL 2024, with 197 runs in seven innings at an average of 39.40 and a strike rate of 160.16. She has smashed two fifties, with the best score of 69*.

She further added, “We have recovered well. We got a good two days of break. I think we are more prepared than any other team because we have had three such incidents where we saw a last-ball finish. So, these experiences are just going to help us going into the playoffs.”

When asked about the approach going into the last game of the league stage, the 23-year-old batter said, “We have already qualified for the playoffs, but the approach does not change, it stays the same. We have to keep getting better little by little and play good cricket.”

“The plan is to have that dominating approach, keep getting better as cricketers every time we step on the field,” she concluded.

The Delhi Capitals will square off against Gujarat Giants in their next match of the WPL 2024 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Wednesday, March 13, 2024.

Display car glass broken after Ellyse Perry‘s shot during the Women’s Premier League 2024 match at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, in Bengaluru on March 04, 2024.
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

After smashing the display car’s window, Royal Challengers Bangalore’s star batter Ellyse Perry joked about not having insurance to cover the damage.

Perry played an instrumental role during RCB’s 23-run triumph over UP Warriorz at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. In the 19th over, the Australian star smashed the window of the display car in Deepti Sharma’s over, producing a sight that spectators don’t see quite often.

After the game, she talked about her window breaking six and said, “Not sure I have insurance here to cover that.”

RCB’s win saw them complete their home-leg fixtures with an important win. Perry talked about the atmosphere of the stadium and the support that the team received from the home crowd.

“All five games here have been amazing. Best atmosphere without doubt I have played in my whole career. It’s such a cool feeling to have such support,” she added.

Perry throughout her innings backed skipper Smriti Mandhana who was leading the assault on the opposition bowlers. Perry defined her role during the 95-run stand which guided RCB to a mamoth total of 198/3.

“Have played a lot of cricket in the last two months. It’s just the nature of the format, sometimes it clicks. My role was to support Smriti initially and then I could release. Really trying to pride ourselves with our fielding, it’s tricky when there’s a left-right combination. We put in a great effort. It was really great from the girls tonight. Great to finish on a high in front of our home fans,” she concluded.

Coming to the match, after an impressive display with the bat, RCB bowlers managed to take wickets at regular intervals which ensured Warriorz ended the night on the losing side.

Alyssa Healy (55) played a captain’s knock but the constantly increasing asking rate got the better of her. Sophie Molineux cashed in and claimed the captain’s wicket.

Deepti Sharma and Poonam Khemnar managed to put up a meaningful 41-run stand but eventually, their efforts went in vain as RCB comfortably emerged victorious.

D. Hemalatha is among the few to have been retained by Gujarat Giants. Here she is seen in action during WPL Match between UP Warriors and Gujarat Giants held at Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai on 20/03/23.
| Photo Credit: EMMANUAL YOGINI

Gujarat Giants looks keen to make some significant changes for the second edition of the Women’s Premier League, with the franchise heading the list for releasing the highest number of players.

Giants, which finished at the bottom of the five-team league last year, has released 11 players, while the runner-up Delhi Capitals has let go just three. The champion Mumbai Indians has released four.

Also read | Women’s cricket has finally arrived in India in its full glory!

In all, 29 players have been released by the franchises, while 60, including 21 from abroad, have been retained. The biggest names released are Megan Schutt (Royals Challengers Bangalore) and Shabnim Ismail (UP Warriorz).

In the mini auction, likely to be held in December, Giants will have the largest purse of Rs. 5.95 crore, followed by Warriorz (Rs. 4 crore), RCB (Rs. 3.35 crore), Capitals (Rs. 2.25 crore) and MI (Rs. 2.1 crore).

Also read | Data | Women’s Premier League is no stroke of luck but a hard-fought win

The teams have been talent-scouting at the various domestic tournaments, including ones for juniors. The WPL is likely to start in mid-February.

The list: Delhi Capitals: Retained: Alice Capsey*, Arundhati Reddy, Jemimah Rodrigues, Jess Jonassen*, Laura Harris*, Marizanne Kapp*, Meg Lanning*, Minnu Mani, Poonam Yadav, Radha Yadav, Shafali Verma, Shikha Pandey, Sneha Deepthi, Taniya Bhatia and Titas Sadhu.

Released: Aparna Mondal, Jasia Akhter and Tara Norris*.

Gujarat Giants: Retained: Ashleigh Gardner*, Beth Mooney*, D. Hemalatha, Harleen Deol, Laura Wolvaardt*, Shabnam Shakil, Sneh Rana and Tanuja Kanwar.

Released: Annabel Sutherland*, Ashwani Kumari, Georgia Wareham*, Hurley Gala, Kim Garth*, Mansi Joshi, Monica Patel, Parunika Sisodia, Sabbineni Meghana, Sophia Dunkley* and Sushma Verma.

Mumbai Indians: Retained: Amanjot Kaur, Amelia Kerr*, Chloe Tryon*, Harmanpreet Kaur, Hayley Matthews*, Humairaa Kaazi, Isabelle Wong*, Jintimani Kalita, Natalie Sciver*, Pooja Vastrakar, Priyanka Bala, Saika Ishaque and Yastika Bhatia

Released: Dhara Gujjar, Heather Graham*, Neelam Bisht and Sonam Yadav.

Also read | Winning crucial moments key to Mumbai Indians’ success in WPL, says captain Harmanpreet Kaur

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Retained: Asha Shobana, Disha Kasat, Ellyse Perry*, Heather Knight*, Indrani Roy, Kanika Ahuja, Renuka Singh, Richa Ghosh, Shreyanka Patil, Smriti Mandhana and Sophie Devine*.

Released: Dane Van Niekerk*, Erin Burns*, Komal Zanzad, Megan Schutt*, Poonam Khemnar, Preeti Bose, Sahana Pawar.

UP Warriorz: Retained: Alyssa Healy*, Anjali Sarvani, Deepti Sharma, Grace Harris*, Kiran Navgire, Lauren Bell*, Laxmi Yadav, Parshavi Chopra, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, S. Yashasri, Shweta Sehrawat, Sophie Ecclestone* and Tahlia Mcgrath*.

Released: Devika Vaidya, Shabnim Ismail*, Shivali Shinde and Simran Shaikh.

(* overseas players)