Deepti stars with a hat-trick and fifty to lead UP Warriorz to a thrilling 1-run win over DC

PTI, Mar 9, 2024, 7:56 AM IST

UP Warriorz bowler Deepti Sharma celebrates the wicket of Mumbai Indians' batter Arundhati Reddy during the Women's Premier League (WPL) 2024 cricket match between Delhi Capitals and UP Warriorz, at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi (Credit: PTI Photo)

New Delhi: Deepti Sharma bagged only the second hat-trick in the history of the tournament, after her exploits with the bat to hand UP Warriorz a thrilling one-run win over Delhi Capitals in the Women’s Premier League here on Friday.

Deepti scored 59 off 48 balls to take the Warriorz to 138 for 8 in their must-win match. She then returned to pick up a four-wicket haul, including a hat-trick to turn the match on its head for the UP side.

Skipper Meg Lanning’s (60 off 46) master-class knock went in vain as DC suffered a bizarre batting collapse.

From 93 for 3 and needing less than 50 runs to win, DC were bowled out for 137 in 19.5 overs.

With the victory, Alyssa Healy and Co arrested their two-match losing streak.

Chasing a below-par total, the Delhi batters looked in a hurry to finish the game.

Lanning took a particular liking to Gouher Sultana. The Australian slammed three back-to-back fours off the spinner in the 13th over, bringing her third consecutive fifty of the tournament in style.

The Australian slammed 12 boundaries in total and by the time Deepti trapped her leg before in the last ball of the 14th over, it seemed that the damage had already been done.

However, the tenacious Deepti returned in the 19th over to get rid of Annabel Sutherland and Anuradha Reddy to complete her hat-trick and give UP a fighting chance for a win.

The India all-rounder then accounted for Shikha Pandey in the same over.

Needing 10 off the last over, the Delhi batters struggled to keep their calm as Grace Harris picked to wickets, and UP also effected a run out to claim a famous win.

Earlier the in-form Deepti, who was elevated to the number three spot, anchored the Warriorz innings. The Indian all-rounder scored 59 off 48 balls with the help of six boundaries and a six. However, she couldn’t find anyone to complement her once skipper Alyssa Healy (29) departed.

Asked to field, Titas Sadhu (2/23) got the early breakthrough for the home team. The 19-year-old cleaned up opener Kiran Navgire (5).

Healy (29) and Deepti stitched a 46-run stand for the second wicket. The two collected 44 runs off the powerplay and kept the scoreboard ticking by collecting boundaries every over.

Off-spinner Alice Capsey (1/5) broke the partnership as she bowled a slower one which was on the shorter side to the dangerous Healy, who came out of her crease to whack the ball, only to find an eager Annabel Sutherland (0/12) at long-on.

Healy’s wicket changed the complexion of the match as it triggered a batting collapse.

Tahlia Mcgrath’s (3) stay in the middle was cut short by Arundhati Reddy (1/15) as the ball hit the stumps.

But that didn’t stop Deepti, who smashed two boundaries each in the next overs off Sutherland and Jess Jonassen (1/31).

However, the UP innings started unravelling as DC bowlers struck at regular intervals.

Harris (14) received a reprieve in the 14th over when DC skipper Meg Lanning dropped her but the Australian couldn’t make use of it, falling to a Radha Yadhav delivery a couple of balls later.

As wickets continued to tumble for the Warriorz, the boundaries dried up as well.

Sadhu returned to claim the wicket of Shweta Sehrawat (4) while Radha accounted for Poonam Khemnar (1).