The Vadodara leg of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) enters its final game with Delhi Capitals (DC) taking on UP Warriorz at the Kotambi International Stadium on Wednesday.
The Meg Lanning-led team got off to a shaky start this season. The Capitals managed to scrape a two-wicket win over Mumbai Indians in their first game but were humiliated by defending champion Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
RCB thrashed last year’s runner-up by eight wickets after a dominant showing with bat and ball. The misfiring middle-order was unable to stitch meaningful partnerships, causing DC to fold for 141. Jemimah Rodrigues and Sarah Bryce were the only batters who looked in good touch.
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A returning Marizanne Kapp struggled to find her footing, scoring 12 off 13 and going for 27 runs in two overs. Jess Jonassen was the most expensive bowler, leaking 37 runs in her four-over spell.
The Capitals will hope to turn things around against the Warriorz, with the former enjoying a 3-1 advantage in their previous fixtures.
A six-wicket loss to Gujarat Giants in its opening game saw UP collapse under pressure and fail to get enough on the scoreboard. New skipper Deepti Sharma led the team with the bat despite wickets tumbling at the other end.
Her composed knock of 39 off 27 and keeper Uma Chetry’s 24 were the standout performances before GG’s Priya Mishra dismantled the middle-order. Tahlia McGrath and Grace Harris, who were key players for UP in the last edition, departed for single-digit scores.
Defending 143, UP bowlers fought back with two early wickets before the Giants took hold of the match again. While Sophie Ecclestone was impressive with the ball, finishing with two for 16, debutant Alana King had a forgettable outing.
Both sides, coming off losses, will hope to head to Bengaluru with a couple of points in the bag.