Tahlia McGrath's valiant and blistering half-century (90 not out off 50) was in vain as Delhi Capitals thrashed UP Warriorz by 42 runs in a Women's Premier League 2023 (WPL) match on Tuesday at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy.
An attacking half-century by captain Meg Lanning (70 off 42 balls) and crucial cameos by Jess Jonassen (42 not out off 20 balls) and Jemimah Rodrigues (34 not out off 22 balls) propelled Delhi Capitals to 211/4 in 20 overs.
Aside from Lanning, Jonassen, and Rodrigues, Alice Capsey (21), Shafali Verma (17), and Marizanne Kapp (16) saw action but failed to make an impact.
In pursuit of a large total, UP captain Alyssa Healy demonstrated her aggressive intent from the first ball, hitting five boundaries in the first three overs. However, Jess Jonassen delivered a double blow by dismissing both Healy (24 off 17) and Kiran Navgire (2) in the same over, the fourth of the innings.
Marizanne Kapp quickly removed Shweta Sehrawat (1) as UP could only score 33/3 in six overs. Following that, all-rounders Tahlia McGrath and Deepti Sharma stitched a brief partnership to halt the wicket-taking, but the asking run rate was rising with each passing over.
Shikha Pandey removed Deepti in the 11th over to give Delhi their next wicket. It didn't deter McGrath, who kept playing her shots and found an able partner in Devika Vaidya. The run rate, however, was out of UP's reach.
McGrath went all guns blazing after Devika (23) was out in the 17th over, hammering Delhi bowlers all over the park in the final few overs, but UP Warriorz were eventually restricted to 169-5 in 20 overs, losing by 42 runs.
With 3-43, Jess Jonassen was Delhi's most successful bowler, while Marizanne Kapp (1-29) and Shikha Pandey (1-18) each took one wicket.
Earlier in the innings, openers Shafali Verma and Meg Lanning got the Delhi Capitals off to a fast start. Both batters picked up where they left off in the previous game, hitting some spectacular shots to score 62 runs in the powerplay overs.
Tahlia McGrath was introduced into the attack shortly after Power-play, and she gave UP Warriorz immediate success by dismissing Shafali (17 off 14), courtesy of a superb catch by Kiran Navgire at deep square leg.
Despite wickets falling at the other end, Lanning remained aggressive, hitting Ecclestone for back-to-back boundaries before Rajeshwari Gayakwad cleaned her up.
Alice Capsey, who batted next, dealt in boundaries and, along with Jemimah Rodrigues, kept Delhi afloat. However, Shabnim Ismail dismissed Capsey in her comeback spell, giving UP some breathing room in the game. Jess Jonassen and Jemimah, on the other hand, had other plans.
The pair took some time to assess the condition before playing their shots with Jonassen hitting three sixes and three boundaries to play a blinder at the death. Rodrigues too played her part to perfection with some timely boundaries and was involved in an unbeaten 67-run partnership with Jonassen as Delhi Capitals posted a strong total of 211 for 4 in 20 overs.
Brief scores: Delhi Capitals 211/4 in 20 overs (Meg Lanning 70, Jess Jonassen 42 not out, Jemimah Rodrigues 34 not out; Shabnim Ismail 1-29) beat UP Warriorz 169/5 in 20 overs (Tahlia McGrath 90 not out, Alyssa Healy 24; Jess Jonassen 3-43) by 42 runs.