WPL 2024: 3 landmarks reached during DC's superb win over RCB in Match 7
Delhi Capitals (DC) thrashed Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in Match 7 of the ongoing Women's Premier League (WPL) 2024 on Thursday, February 29.
The high-octane encounter saw Delhi make a dominant first-innings score of 194/5. Opener Shafali Verma came up with a quick-fire half-century, while Marizanne Kapp (32) and Jess Jonassen (36*) struck at rates of 200 and 225, respectively.
In reply, RCB came out all guns blazing as they had the support of the entire stadium in Bengaluru. Skipper Smriti Mandhana played a superb knock, smashing 74 off 43 balls. Sophie Devine (23) and Richa Ghosh (19) also looked good for a while but couldn't convert their stats.
Marizanne Kapp (2/35) and Jess Jonassen (3/21) shared five wickets between them as DC clinched the match by 25 runs in the end. With their recent win, Delhi have jumped to the top of the WPL 2024 points table.
On that note, let's take a look at three landmarks that were reached during the encounter on Thursday (February 29):
#1 Kapp now has the joint-most POTM awards in WPL
Marizanne Kapp has had a terrific start to WPL 2024. The DC all-rounder is the second-highest wicket-taker thus far with six wickets at an average of 12.00.
Against RCB, she once again stole the show with both bat and ball. When DC needed to finish their innings on a high, Kapp hammered three huge sixes along with two fours and dished out a great cameo of 32 runs (off 16 balls).
In the second innings, the South African all-rounder provided two key breakthroughs, including a match-changing wicket of Smriti Mandhana. For her all-round exploits, Kapp won the Player of the Match (POTM) award.
Incredibly, this is her fourth Man of the Match award in WPL history, thus becoming the player with the joint-most POTM awards alongside Harmanpreet Kaur (4).
This was Kapp's 300th T20 appearance as well.
#2 Most sixes in a WPL match
The high-scoring affair provided six-hitting galore for the spectators. Shafali Verma (50) started the encounter with four maximums before her Delhi Capitals teammates added seven more to the list.
The hosts didn't back down either and utilised the advantage of having small boundaries.
Smriti Mandhana hit three sixes, while other RCB batters also contributed five as a whole.
In total, 19 sixes were hit in the match on Thursday. This is now the most in any single WPL game, surpassing the match between RCB and Gujarat Giants (GG) in 2023, which saw 14 sixes at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai.
#3 Highest individual score by an Indian captain in WPL history
Smriti Mandhana finally got going in the 2024 edition of the WPL on Thursday after struggling for runs in RCB's first two matches.
The RCB skipper looked in dangerous touch at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium as she took the DC bowlers to the cleaners. She negated the new-ball threat quite well before asserting herself on the match.
The southpaw made 74 off just 43 balls, with the help of ten boundaries and three maximums. Her 74-run knock is now the highest individual score by an Indian captain in WPL history. Previously, Harmanpreet Kaur held the record with her 65 against GG in the opening clash of WPL 2023.
Apart from this, Mandhana's 74 is also the third-highest individual score by an Indian in the league after Shafali Verma's 84 and 76* against RCB and GG, respectively.