Watch: Shafali Verma was in stunning form in Delhi Capitals’ opening Women’s Premier League (WPL) game against Royal Challengers Bangalore, smashing 84 off 45 balls.
There were 10 fours and four sixes in her opening assault, with two of those sixes coming either side of a four in the space of one Sobhana Asha over.
After a quiet, three-run opening over from Renuka Singh Thakur, Delhi Capitals got moving in the second over, with one boundary from Verma and two from opening partner Meg Lanning. There was no looking back, with runs flowing regularly thereafter, but after eight overs, with the score reading 72-0, Royal Challengers Bangalore might have felt the score was somewhat in check.
That was no longer the case after the ninth over. First ball, Shafali danced down and deposited Asha straight down the ground. She swept hard next ball for four before a single brough Lanning on strike. The Australia captain struck four herself before getting Shafali back on strike, and she capped off the over with another big stroke down the track, though this went over wide long-on.
The pair continued to score freely, with their partnership crossing 150 in the 14th over, before Heather Knight struck twice in three balls to peg Delhi Capitals back somewhat. Their stand ended at 162, higher than any partnership in the first three seasons of the men’s Indian Premier League, and the sixth highest in all top-level women’s domestic T20 cricket.
Delhi Capitals ended up posting a mammoth 223-2, the second-highest total in women’s top-level domestic cricket.
Watch the Shafali Verma six, four, six below:
6️⃣4️⃣6️⃣ @TheShafaliVerma is dealing in boundaries here in Mumbai 😎🎆
Follow the match ▶️ https://t.co/593BI7xKRy#TATAWPL | #RCBvDC pic.twitter.com/vXl5rOEgSh
— Women's Premier League (WPL) (@wplt20) March 5, 2023
