Delhi Capitals (DC) beat Royals Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by one run to qualify for the WPL 2024 Playoffs.

Jemimah Rodrigues (58 in 36 balls) and Alice Capsey (48 in 32) propelled the Delhi Capitals to 181-5 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium after Meg Lanning won the toss and opted to bat.

Despite a rapid second-wicket partnership between Sophie Molineux (33 in 30 balls) and Ellyse Perry (49 in 32), RCB seemed to lose their way in the middle overs, and needed 74 off the last six.

At this point Devine cut loose, hitting Radha Yadav for two sixes and a four. Richa Ghosh joined in, smashing a four and an exquisite back-foot punch for six off Arundhati Reddy at the other end.

Shikha Pandey conceded only five to keep the target at 40 from 18 balls. Marizanne Kapp took out Devine (26 in 16 balls) while Pandey got Georgia Wareham (12 in six), and Delhi needed to defend 12 off the last over. Lanning recalled Jess Jonassen.

The DC-RCB final over – how it happened

Ghosh smashed the first ball over Jonassen’s head for six. She hit the second ball towards extra cover, but could not middle it, and declined the single. She smashed the third ball to Reddy at long-off and got the first run easily, but Disha Kasat, yet to face a ball, was keen on a second to get Ghosh back on strike.

Jonassen collected the throw and whipped the bails off. As Kasat walked back, Lanning intervened, and the umpires referred to Mohammad Rafi, the television umpire. While neither batter was in the frame, they wanted to check whether the batters had crossed. Rafi ruled Kasat out on a close decision based on exactly one camera angle.

Back on strike, Ghosh turned the next ball towards the leg side for two, and cleared the deep mid-wicket boundary with a six off the fifth ball to reach her fifty – off 28 balls – to bring the target down to two runs.

Jonassen kept her nerve and bowled on the stumps. Ghosh made room, but could only slice it to Shafali Verma at backward point. By the time Verma had picked up the ball, non-striker Shreyanka Patil had almost completed her sprint from the non-striker’s end. But Ghosh had been slow to set off.

Ghosh ran and put in a full-length dive roughly when Jonassen took the bails off. Patil, meanwhile, had set off again – a single would have pushed the match into a Super Over, while another run would have earned them a win – but Jonassen threw at the wicket at the striker’s end as well.

Replays revealed that Ghosh’s bat had been on the line when the bails had come off. As Ghosh broke down at the crease, visibly distraught, the Delhi fielders consoled her.

The win helped Delhi become the second team, after Mumbai Indians, to qualify for the Playoffs.

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