THE Delhi Capitals are the second team into the Women’s Indian Premier League (WIPL) Finals in 2024 after a nail-biting one-run win over the Royal Challengers Bangalore. After Delhi posted 5/181, the Royal Challengers fell agonisingly short of reaching the target.

After an okay start to its innings, Delhi did not really accelerate until the third partnership, which saw Jemimah Rodrigues and Alice Capsey put on an almost 100-run partnership to steer the Capitals back on track. That partnership ensures that even though a few cheap wickets fell after that, the final total would at least be competitive.

Unsurprisingly it was Rodrigues and Capsey who topped the runs tally, smashing 17 boundaries between them to make 58 and 48 respectively. On the flipside, it was Shreyanka Patil who was the star bowler for Bangalore, picking up four of the five wickets that fell.

In what was perhaps a sign of foreshadowing, Bangalore’s first wicket came with only nine runs to their name.

However, Aussie pair Ellyse Perry and Sophie Molineux then got to work and put on an 80-run stand to get their side back on track. Another 49-run partnership between Sophie Devine and Richa Ghosh then accelerated the innings further, but as the innings progressed the wickets started tumble and the desperation from Bangalore increased. Coming into the last over, the task for the Royal Challengers was 17 runs, but all that came of the over was 15 runs and two wickets, thereby ensuring the Royal Challengers’ fate.

It was Ghosh who topped the runs tally for Bangalore with 51, while Perry was not too far behind on 49.

Meanwhile for Delhi, it was all individual wicket takers, with Capsey, Marizanne Kapp, Shikha Pandey and Arundhati Reddy all picking up a scalp.

The loss means that the Royal Challengers still have one more chance to make finals, but they have to overcome reigning champions Mumbai in their final game to do so, and if they do not, hope that the UP Warriorz do not win big in their final game.