Right-arm medium pacer Sophie Devine and spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad delivered under pressure as Gujarat Giants held their nerve to edge past Delhi Capitals by three runs in a thrilling Women’s Premier League encounter here on Tuesday.

Devine returned figures of 4 for 37, while Rajeshwari claimed 3 for 20, as Delhi Capitals’ chase of 175 derailed at crucial moments to finish on 171 for 8 in their allotted 20 overs.

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With nine runs required off the final over, Devine produced a match-defining spell, removing Sneh Rana and Niki Prasad to stall Delhi’s late surge and seal a tense win for Gujarat.

Earlier, veteran Australian wicketkeeper-batter Beth Mooney anchored the Giants’ innings with a composed 58 off 46 balls, while Anushka Sharma added valuable support with a brisk 39 off 25 deliveries as Gujarat posted a competitive 174 for 9.

Delhi Capitals began confidently in reply, racing to 16 in the first two overs with Shafali Verma contributing 14 off 10 balls. However, her stay was cut short by Rajeshwari Gayakwad, who induced an ill-timed lofted shot that was safely caught by skipper Ashleigh Gardner at long-on.

The Capitals suffered another setback when Lizelle Lee struggled to find momentum, scoring 11 off 20 balls before offering a straightforward catch to Gardner at mid-on off Devine’s bowling.

Tanuja Kanwar and Devine then tightened the screws with disciplined bowling, making scoring difficult for DC. Even skipper Jemimah Rodrigues and Laura Wolvaardt found it hard to rotate the strike, allowing the required run rate to climb steadily.

Attempting to break free, Jemimah miscued a scoop off Devine’s slower delivery and was bowled. Ashleigh Gardner struck soon after, dismantling Marizanne Kapp’s defence, before Rajeshwari bowled Wolvaardt to reduce DC to 84 for 5 in the 13th over.

Chinelle Henry followed soon after, falling to Rajeshwari, but Niki Prasad sparked a dramatic turnaround with a counter-attacking 47 off 24 balls. She launched her assault with a flurry of boundaries, including four successive fours off Devine.

Sneh Rana joined the charge with a quickfire 29 off 15 balls, smashing a six and several boundaries as Delhi collected 23 runs from the 17th over to keep the chase alive. The duo added 60 runs off just 31 balls, bringing DC back into contention.

Needing 29 off the final two overs, Rana and Prasad continued their onslaught, reducing the equation to nine runs off the last over. However, Devine struck once again, dismissing Rana before having Prasad caught at long-on by Gardner off the final delivery as Gujarat Giants clinched a dramatic three-run victory.

Earlier, Delhi Capitals’ left-arm spinner Shree Charani impressed with figures of 4 for 31, but Mooney’s composed half-century ensured Gujarat posted a defendable total.
(By PTI Inputs)