WPL Orange Cap and Purple Cap standings after Delhi Capitals vs Gujarat Giants match (Updated)
The 15th match of the inaugural Women's Premier League (WPL) saw the Delhi Capitals (DC) take on the Gujarat Giants (GG) on Thursday, March 16, at the Brabourne Stadium.
The Sneh Rana-led side came out on top following a topsy-turvy contest, which kept them well alive in the tournament and in contention for the third spot. DC, however, will have to wait to qualify for the playoffs.
Meg Lanning won the toss and decided to bowl first. Marizanne Kapp struck in the very first over, removing the dangerous Sophia Dunkley. GG staggered after the early blow, but Harleen Deol and Laura Wolvaardt stitched together a relatively good platform, which was cut short due to a controversial dismissal.
The Proteas star converted her start into a fifty while she was accompanied by Ashleigh Gardner, who also chipped in with a valuable cameo. Their efforts pushed GG's total to 147-4 after 20 overs.
DC lost the wicket of Shafali Verma in the second over of the run chase and lost Lanning too, to cap off their powerplay. They were faced with yet another complicated run-chase scenario after being reduced to 52-4 at one stage.
Kapp kept DC in the hunt in the crucial WPL fixture, but even after her dismissal, the chasing side did not gave up. Arundhati Reddy and Shikha Pandey put on 35 runs for the ninth wicket. However, GG kept their nerve to win the clash by 11 runs.
WPL 2023 Orange Cap list
Meg Lanning continues to hold onto the Orange Cap despite a massive drop in form of late. She scored a scratchy 18 runs off 15 deliveries before being dismissed by the opposition skipper. She took her run tally for the season to 239 after six matches and is now 34 runs ahead of second-placed Ellyse Perry.
Shafali Verma continues to remain the highest run scorer among Indians with 187 runs and holds the third spot in the overall rankings. She is only one spot ahead of Harleen Deol, who scored a patient 31 run-knock on Thursday.
WPL 2023 Purple Cap list
Kim Garth bowled a very potent spell to turn the game around with timely wickets. She took the wickets of Jemimah Rodrigues and Arundathi Reddy to finish with figures of 2/18. The Australian seamer is now sixth on the list of highest wicket-takers with eight scalps.
However, she is still far away from the top of the pile, where Saika Ishaque holds strong with 12 wickets to her name.
Ashleigh Gardner has well and truly arrived in the WPL after yet another solid spell, following a rather surprisingly bleak start. She had figures of 2-19 to take her wickets tally to nine wickets to claim fourth spot and level with Sophie Ecclestone.
Who will win the Orange Cap and Purple Cap in WPL 2023? Let us know what you think.