of North Delhi Strikers The women secured a thrilling victory by 10 runs against Superstarz of South Delhi Women to win the inauguration Women’s Delhi Premier League (DPL) 2024 title at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday (September 8). The match was a showcase of determination, skill and nerves of steel, with North Delhi emerging as champions in a closely contested final.
A record knock by Upasana Yadav for North Delhi Strikers
Upasana Yadav stole the show with a historic performance, becoming the first player in league history to score a century. Her unbeaten 114 off just 67 balls, studded with 18 boundaries and three sixes, was the cornerstone of North Delhi’s commanding total of 179/3 in their 20 overs. Yadav’s explosive innings, especially after the early dismissal of Mansi Sharma for duck, set the tone for North Delhi’s innings. In partnership with Monika, Yadav led the team to 50/1 by the end of the powerplay.
Though Monika was dismissed for 19 to 15 in the seventh over, Yadav continued her aggressive approach. She reached her fifty in 36 balls and raced to her century in just 62 deliveries. Ayushi Soni provided steady support with 31 off 34 balls, helping North Delhi post a formidable total. South Delhi Aarti Kumari was the outstanding bowler, taking 2/34 in her four overs.
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South Delhi Superstarz’s hot pursuit fails
In reply, South Delhi started their chase with intent but the early wickets caught them. Opener Chhavi Gupta (20 minus 20) and Shweta Sehravat (13 off 11) were both dismissed at the end of the powerplay, leaving South Delhi at 46/2. Tanisha Singhhowever, rose to the challenge, anchoring the innings with a gutsy 72 off 40 balls.
Singh first built a crucial 38-run partnership with Riya Soni, but Soni’s dismissal in the 11th over left South Delhi at 84/3. Undeterred, Singh forged a 60-run stand Nidhi Mahtotaking the score to 144/4 in the 17th over. Momentum, however, shifted once more when Bharti Rawal removed Mahto, and Soni Yadav struck twice in the 18th over, dismissing both Singh and R Priyadarshini. These wickets left South Delhi reeling at 151/6.
Despite a late response from Ekta Bhadana AND Manja Godarwho added 15 runs in the 19th ball, South Delhi found themselves needing 14 runs from the last six balls. Nazma Sultanesha bowled a disciplined game at the end, taking two crucial wickets and sealing the win for North Delhi. South Delhi ended their innings at 169/8, falling just 10 runs short of the target.
North Delhi Strikers are the DPL Women Champions 2024 🏆#women #cricket #dpl2024 #Northdelhi #AdaniDPL #CricketTwitter #WomenCricket pic.twitter.com/M6B9w5NpsN
— WomenCricket.com (@WomenCricketHQ) September 9, 2024
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This article was first published on WomenCricket.com, a Cricket Times company.