NEW DELHI: Delhi Capitals huffed and puffed before finally getting over the line in a modest chase, beating UP Warriorz by five wickets to book their place in the Women’s Premier League Eliminator on Sunday.

The win, achieved with eight balls to spare, also ended defending champions Mumbai Indians’ campaign, knocking them out of the WPL playoff race.

Delhi Capitals, finalists in all three previous WPL seasons but yet to lift the trophy, will now face an in-form Gujarat Giants in the Eliminator at the Baroda Cricket Association Stadium on Tuesday. The winner will go on to meet Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Thursday.

Capitals wobble but hold nerve in chase

Chasing 123, Delhi finished on 126 for five, though it was far from straightforward after slipping from a comfortable 84 for one to a shaky 101 for five.

Captain Jemimah Rodrigues held her nerve with an unbeaten 34 off 18 balls, hitting five fours, while Niki Prasad stayed with her at the end as the winning runs were scored.

Shafali Verma chipped in with a patient 29, while Laura Wolvaardt anchored the chase with a composed 47 off 36 balls that included seven boundaries. The duo added 73 runs for the second wicket after the early dismissal of Lizelle Lee for 10.

Despite boasting world-class spinners in Sophie Ecclestone, who finished with 1 for 20, and Deepti Sharma, who picked up two wickets, UP Warriorz simply did not have enough runs to apply sustained pressure. Jemimah’s back-to-back fours off Deepti in the penultimate over ensured there were no late stumbles.

Kapp and Henry set it up with the ball

Earlier, Marizanne Kapp and Chinelle Henry laid the platform for Delhi with disciplined bowling, restricting UP Warriorz to a modest 122 for eight.

UPW suffered a nightmare start, losing skipper Meg Lanning off the very first ball, and never quite recovered as wickets kept falling at regular intervals.

Kapp led the attack, removing Deepti Sharma, Charli Knott and Deandra Dottin, while Henry dismissed Simran Shaikh just when she threatened to revive the innings.

Deepti tried to inject some momentum at the top with a brisk 24 off 19 balls, but the lack of partnerships hurt UPW badly. Simran’s quick 22 also came to an end at an awkward moment, while Shikha Pandey’s unbeaten 23 at the death could only take them so far.

(With PTI Inputs)