Chips it away from Harmanpreet running back! And she fires a strong throw to Bhatia who whips off the stumps with Reddy diving ful-stretch! Drama, drama and more drama - not for the faint-hearted this. This is flighted outside off, she lofts it inside out over cover. Harmanpreet thinks she is in with a catching chance but it is just away from her. She fires a sharp throw and Reddy-s full-stretch dive does it for Delhi Capitals!!! What a game. Radha and Reddy celebrate even as MI look disconsolate. This is another close run-out call that goes in DC's favour And it will remain a talking point for a while. But for now, it is DC with two points on the board
MI Women vs DC Women, 2nd Match at Vadodara, WPL, Feb 15 2025 - Ball by Ball Commentary
DC Women won by 2 wickets (with 0 balls remaining)
A two-wicket win off the last ball sees DC open their account in their first attempt this season. The games will keep coming thick and fast. Gujarat Giants take on UP Warriorz tomorrow at the same venue. Do join us for that. On behalf of Vishal and Venkat, this is Sudarshanan signing off tonight. See you tomorrow!
11:14pm Time for the presentation
Meg Lanning, DC captain: "Not too many stressful days like that. They looked like getting to 200. Pandey in particular bowled well. There were patches where we were going well with the bat but Mumbai came back well. I had an idea what I wanted to look like. Minnu did well. You have to keep changing. When batters are set, you can't let them face the same thing twice, so I kept changing. Niki did an excellent job to come in at a tricky time. Radha Yadav also hitting that six. T20 is about impact play, and I thought we did that well."
Niki Prasad, Player of the Match: "This is the first game for me in the WPL. Wanted to go out there and express myself and make sure DC win. I visualised before the match, knew what I had to do, got it done. The situation we were in, just singles would not have been enough. Wanted to get calculative boundaries along with the singles. Looking at the big players and legend, I am excited and motivated to give my best."
Arunraj: "By the way, Arundhati Reddy is not a Kerala player" After WPL 2024, she moved to Kerala from Hyderabad
10:58pm What drama! What drama! And what a start to WPL 2025. Should the TV umpire have asked for another zoomed-in frame? Did she make a decision based on a later frame? Should bails lighting up count towards such decisions or should bails coming off the groove still be paramount? All these points will be up for a chat in the coming while. But let that take nothing away from a fantastic game. A fantastic batting show from a teenager, who's just captained the Under-19 team to a World Cup win. Niki Prasad was as calm as calm does. And yet it was not going to be enough. Two needed off one ball - this is building up to be a trope for MI vs DC matches in the WPL. Last year Sajana was the hero in such a situation. Today another Kerala player, Reddy, got a chance to hit the winning run and finish with a win.
Both the innings in this game had a similar pattern. Powerplays belonged to the batting side. The bowling side clawed its way back in the middle phase and a see-saw death overs. DC lost 4 for 16 after a strong start from Shafali and Lanning, but found a calm head in Prasad, who kept them in the game with a partnership with Capsey. Bryce's cameo helped them get to a situation from where they could actually hunt it down. But MI would, sadly, look back at their collapse of 7 for 35. That is truly where they lost it.
Harmanpreet Kaur, MI captain: "Even though we were not able to set a decent total, I thought we would cross 200 when Nat and I were batting. Those five balls we did not bat cost us. Ismail is someone who is a great bowler. She gives us the privilege of getting us breakthroughs. Sajana did well for us in practice games. Unfortunately we misfielded off her bowling and that cost her. First thing is we want to play 20 overs. We have to bat full 20 overs. And the set batter should back 20 overs. When I was in, I should have continued longer. This type of collapses happen but our batters need to take more responsibility in the next game."
Sarah Bryce: "The situation dictated what to do. Unbelievable game, unbelievable atmosphere. They got off to a good start. We pulled it back exceptionally well and gave us a total we could chase down. A lot of things are different from her experience before. Just embracing it all and making the most of it. I was lucky to have the opportunities I had in the last couple of years - in the Hundred, WBBL and Charlotte Edwards Cup. Even though I have never played in India, but when it comes to the crowd I have been such situations, so that helps."
Arundhati Reddy in with 2 needed off 1
Prasad takes the aerial route and finds Kerr in the deep! MI are still in this!! Seam-up delivery on a length, she gets under it and heaves it across the line. Makes excellent contact, or so it seems till Kerr runs in from deep midwicket to take it with a dive
Full on leg, turned fine down leg, Ishaque gets around from short fine leg and keeps it to one
Kalita over-runs it and misses the ball! Prasad squeezes the full ball towards point and sets off. Radha would have been a goner had she stopped and thrown in a single motion
In the gap again and she gets two. Shortish on off, heaved through midwicket, Kerr keeps it in with a dive in the deep
Misfield in the deep and Niki Prasad get four! Decisive, decisive! What a calm hand Prasad is playing. This is short and angled into her, she gets down on a knee and swipes it through backward square leg. Gupta gets around but lets it through
S Sajana and the last-over saga vs Delhi Capitals - WPL 2025 edition
Walloped! That concludes a forgettable night for Ishaque. Once again lands it in the slot in line of the stumps, Radha clears her front leg and sends it sailing into the deep midwicket stands
A massive confusion and the throw goes to the wrong end! But they opt to have another look for the run-out appeal. Very full ball outside off, Radha comes down and hits it towards cover-point. Both she and Prasad are ball-watching and run, but Radha turns to go back to her crease, even as Prasad was almost next to her. The throw is to the wicketkeeper, who disturbs the stumps at her end before throwing it to the other end, where Prasad was well in. Radha had to dive to get back in and did so with the face of the bat up, and jussst makes it! Very interesting call that, because from an angle it felt as if the bat was in the air
Full on middle, Radha drills it straight back down the ground. Ismail slides and stops it in the deep but cannot prevent the double
Radha Yadav in next. MI also have Sajana, Harmanpreet and Gupta to turn to for the last over
Oh dear! Another run-out appeal against Pandey. This time the body language is not as positive as the previous time. She charges at a full toss and hits it straight to cover-point, who fires a throw to Bhatia. Pandey took time to turn and even a dive is not enough. Sajana with that flat throw that results in a seventh DC wicket
Full and down leg, she deflects it towards short fine leg where again Kalita does the rest
Full and wide outside off, slog-sweeps it all along the ground through midwicket for two
MI will have to use a new bowler for one of these two overs. Ishaque has two left but she cannot bowl both of those. Amanjot and Kalita the options. For now it is Ishaque
Tossed up outside off, Pandey dances down and lofts it inside out over extra cover, Ismail gets around from long-off and keeps it down to two
Angling in on a length, pulled to deep square leg
Harmanpreet is not happy now. Amanjot is also seen gesturing. Umpire N Janani has a word with the MI captain, who is still not satisfied but that is that for now
A lot happening! But is Pandey run-out? Moves across her stumps early and completely misses the heave across the line. Bhatia deflects it towards short third and Pandey is down in search of a run. Prasad sends her back and there is a direct hit at the striker's end and they run on the deflection. That is verrrryyy close, but looks like Pandey does not have anything inside the crease. The TV umpire asks for a few zoomed-in images, and concludes that she did make it in in time
Shikha Pandey. Was in superb striking form for Canterbury Magicians in the Women's Super Smash
Matthews delivers the killer blow! The good-striking Bryce is out of here Backs away to make room and loft one over the off side, where there is noone deep at cover. Matthews lands it on a length on middle and leg, cramping her for room. She goes with the shot and finds Kalita at cover-point. Is that the end of DC's challenge?
gops: "NSB's cutter is phenomenal. Getting lots of dip and the pitch is ragging big time for her. Pity she's mixed it up with the back of hand variation which hasn't been receiving the same response from the wicket."
Full on off, slog-swept to deep midwicket
Matthews gives Bryce a friendly warning as the latter leaves the crease before she bowls
And Prasad gets the boundary now. Tossed up on leg, she sweeps it fine down leg. Matthews has her hand on her mouth
Matthews to finish
Hugh: "Dehli might want Sarah in at 3 next game.?" Not a bad call really, if she is going to be in the XI. Rodrigues can bat in the lower-middle order where she has found success for India
Shortish and angling in, another offcutter, she heaves it on the bounce to deep midwicket. 14 runs off the over, is this the momentum-change DC needed?
Another slower length ball, slapped down to long-on
Over 20 • DC-W 165/8