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Vadodara, Feb 15 (IANS) Arundhati Reddy held her nerve to loft the ball over cover for two runs to help Delhi Capitals (DC) pull off a dramatic two-wicket victory over defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) in the second match of Women’s Premier League (WPL) Season 3 at the Kotambi Stadium here on Saturday.

The match had everything — a superb knock by Nat Sciver-Brunt, an explosive start from opener Shafali Verma, a composed effort by debutant Niki Prasad, and a last-ball finish that saw Arundhati seal victory for Delhi Capitals in what was a repeat of the final of the 2023 edition.

Questions will be asked about the final decision — should the TV umpire have zoomed in further? Should the lighting-up of the bails count, or it is out only when they fully come off? These discussions will continue, but they shouldn’t take away much from what was a spectacular game.

Earlier, Mumbai Indians, after being put in to bat, were restricted to 164 all out in 19.1 overs, despite Natalie Sciver-Brunt leading the charge with a scintillating unbeaten 80 off 59 balls. The English all-rounder took control of the innings after an early wobble and showcased her class with an array of powerful strokes. She found a perfect partner in skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, who contributed a crucial 42 off 22 balls, as the two batters steadied the innings after early setbacks as Mumbai Indians slumped to 32/2.

But Mumbai again lost their way after Harmanpreet was out. Sciver-Brunt, however, continued unfazed and provided a late flourish, dispatching the Delhi bowlers to all parts of the ground. Despite her heroics, MI struggled to keep wickets intact, with Annabel Sutherland (3/34) and Shikha Pandey (2/14) leading the Delhi bowling effort. Eventually, Mumbai’s innings ended with 164 on the board, a total that seemed slightly under par on a good batting wicket.

Delhi Capitals’ chase started in contrasting fashion, with Shafali Verma launching a brutal attack on Mumbai’s bowling while Meg Lanning struggled to find her rhythm. Facing Saika Ishaque in the second over, Shafali displayed her power-hitting ability, stepping out and smashing a six over mid-wicket before following it up with three consecutive fours. Her aggressive intent put Delhi on top early, as she raced to 20 off just seven balls.

While Shafali was relentless, fellow opener Meg Lanning found herself tied down by Shabnim Ismail’s sharp bowling, who beat her multiple times with movement and bounce. Eventually, Delhi suffered a double setback as Shafali perished for a quickfire 43, caught by Amanjot Kaur off Hayley Matthews, and Lanning’s struggle ended as Ismail rattled her stumps for 15 off 19 balls. Delhi’s momentum took another hit when Jemimah Rodrigues (2) mistimed a drive off Amelia Kerr, lobbing a simple catch to Harmanpreet at cover. With Annabel Sutherland also falling cheaply to Sciver-Brunt, Delhi found themselves in deep trouble at 83/4 in the 12th over.

With the team in a precarious position, debutant Niki Prasad and Alice Capsey joined forces to rebuild the innings. The teenage sensation Niki Prasad, fresh off captaining India to the U-19 World Cup title, displayed remarkable composure, playing risk-free cricket while ensuring the required run rate didn’t spiral out of reach.

Capsey, meanwhile, looked to accelerate but struggled against the wily Amelia Kerr. She attempted to take on Kerr in the 15th over but failed to generate enough power, holing out to Ismail at long-on for 16 off 18 balls, leaving Delhi at 111/5.

Sarah Bryce, the only Associate nation player in the WPL, walked in and immediately made an impact, cutting her first ball off Saika Ishaque for a four. In the 17th over, she slashed an edge past wicketkeeper Yastika Bhatia for another boundary before launching a six over cow-corner, keeping Delhi’s hopes alive. However, she perished soon after, falling for 21 off 10 balls, with Jintimani Kalita taking a safe catch off Matthews.

Delhi still needed 21 runs off the final two overs, with Niki Prasad and Shikha Pandey at the crease. Ishaque started the penultimate over with disciplined bowling, but a poor call resulted in Shikha getting run out for 2 off 3 balls. With Radha Yadav now at the crease, Delhi still needed 16 off 8 balls.

Radha injected life into the chase with a stunning six over mid-wicket, putting the pressure back on Mumbai. However, with 10 runs required off the last over, Harmanpreet Kaur took a bold gamble, handing the ball to Sajeevan Sajana, who hadn’t bowled yet in the game.

Sajana’s first ball saw Niki Prasad slice a boundary past a diving fielder, reducing the equation to six off five. Two runs came off the next ball, bringing it down to four from four. A misfield gifted Delhi a single, leaving them needing two from two.

Just when it seemed that Delhi was on the verge of victory, Niki Prasad fell for a well-made 35 off 33 balls, caught by Kerr at deep mid-wicket. Suddenly, the match was wide open again, with two needed off the final ball and Arundhati Reddy on strike.

The final ball saw Reddy charge down the pitch and loft it over cover. As she sprinted for the run, the throw came in at the non-striker’s end. The decision was close, and replays showed Reddy had just made her ground in time with a desperate dive! The stadium erupted as Delhi Capitals secured a thrilling last-ball victory, winning by two wickets.

Brief scores:

Mumbai Indians 164 all out in 19.1 overs (Nat Sciver-Brunt 80 not out, Harmanpreet Kaur 42; Annabel Sutherland 3-34, Sikha Pandey 2-14) lost to Delhi Capitals 165/8 in 20 overs (Shafali Verma 43, Niki Prasad 35; Amelia Kerr 2-22, Hayley Matthews 2-32) by two wickets

–IANS

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Panaji, Nov 22 (IANS) Both the semifinals in the FIDE World Cup 2025 will head to a tiebreak after GM Nodirbek Yakubboev and GM Javokhir Sindarov played out yet another drab draw, while GM Andrey Esipenko failed to breach the defence of Chinese GM Wei Yi in Panaji on Saturday.

Just like in the first game, Wei Yi once again found himself under time pressure against Esipenko, this time with black pieces. But the Chinese, who is known for his calm demeanour under pressure, pulled himself out of the hole with some precise moves to make the time control.

With very little to play for in terms of a result, Esipenko offered a draw soon after. Though Wei did not take the offer immediately and tried to make inroads with his queen, it was quite clear that no other result was possible, and he decided to sign the peace pact after 37 moves.

In the other semifinal, the second game between Nordirbek and Sindarov went the same way as the first, as both players were happy to play solid and safe chess till the mandatory 30 move threshold before agreeing to a draw.

Earlier on Friday, Wei Yi, who had defeated India’s Arjun Erigaisi in the previous round, and Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Yakubboev could not breach the defences of their respective opponents with white pieces.

While Nodirbek signed the truce pact with compatriot Sindarov immediately after the mandatory 30 moves, Wei Yi and GM Andrey Esipenko had their chances but could not convert and ended up splitting the point after 33 moves.

But to Esipenko’s credit, the Russian-born Grandmaster equalled the position quite well, and it looked like the Chinese was coming under some time pressure. However, Wei managed to set up a three-pronged attack with a rook, bishop and queen, only for Esipenko to respond with a perfect defensive move to take the game towards a pawn endgame, when the two players agreed to draw.

Results:

GM Andrey Esipenko (FIDE) drew with GM Wei Yi (CHN) (1:1 aggregate)

GM Javokhir Sindarov (UZB) drew with GM Nodirbek Yakubboev (UZB) (1:1 aggregate).

–IANS

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