Clutch Queen Sophie Devine Steps Up Again Against DC

Sophie Devine yet again delivered a match winning performance against Delhi Capitals. Delhi and Gujarat went against each other to enhance their chances of qualification. Amidst this, Devine rocked over Delhi's batting line-up with her impressive bowling skills.

Another day, another intense clash for the fans in the TATA WPL. And this time, it was between Delhi Capitals and Gujarat Giants. Both of these teams had already delivered a classic game to the fans earlier in the group stages. But the stakes were a lot higher this time.

However, the result came out to be exactly the same as it was in the previous game. Gujarat Giants ended up defending their target against Delhi Capitals, and Sophie Devine bowled the very last over of the game. With her bowling brilliance, Gujarat is now just inches close to be qualified for the playoffs.

1. Devine’s Bowling Almost Ends DC’s Hopes

In the last few games of the league stages, every team except Royal Challengers Bengaluru is giving its best to be qualified for the playoffs. It is just RCB who have made it to the same, and now they are resting at the top. Delhi Capitals went against Gujarat Giants, in another league stage match which was set to be played in Vadodara.

The Delhi Capitals were able to win this game and they decided to field first. But things didn't go their way. The team had a good start by dismissing Sophie Devine for just 13 runs, but then Beth Mooney and Anushka Sharma had an impressive stand to give Gujarat the upper hand. However, this didn't last well, as Anushka lost her wicket.

This is also the time when Shree Charani came to the bowling attack and rattled Gujarat's middle order. All that the team needed was a good finish, and this was given by Tanuja Kanwar. She scored 21 runs off 11 balls, which helped Gujarat Giants to score 174/9. Beth Mooney was able to score 58 runs for GG, as Shree Charani topped DC’s wicket charts with 4 wickets.

In the chase, Delhi Capitals did not have a good start, with Shafali Verma and Lizelle Lee being dismissed for low scores. The captain, Jemimah Rodrigues and Laura Wolvaardt gave their best but it was not enough to help the team. Eventually, Delhi stood at the score of 100 runs for the loss of 6 wickets.

This is where Niki Prasad and Sneh Rana decided to take charge. They had an impressive 70-run stand, which helped Delhi to take the game till the last over. Sophie Devine was defending 9 runs off the last over, as she ended up taking 2 wickets in the same over. Eventually, Delhi fell short by 3 runs with Devine being the POTM for her brilliant spell.

2. Devine Repeats Past Brilliance

Sophie Devine has come out to be a true enemy of Delhi Capitals this season. The recent game where she defended 9 runs off the last over was not the only game she shined against them. She also did well previously when both teams faced each other on 11 January.

In that game, Gujarat Giants were batting first and Sophie Devine decided to shine with the bat. She went on to score 95 runs off 42 balls, with 7 fours and 8 sixes. With her aggressive striking, Gujarat Giants were able to post down a massive total of 209 runs before being all out. Nandani Sharma also took a hat-trick in this game.

During the chase, the match once again went till the last over. Laura Wolvaardt and Jemimah Rodrigues were on the crease, as Delhi Capitals needed just 7 runs to win off 6 balls. This target seemed very much achievable, but Gujarat Giants had the ball handed over to Sophie Devine.

She started off with a dot ball, and took the wicket of Jemimah Rodrigues on the very next delivery. Marizanne Kapp was able to rotate the strike, as Laura Wolvaardt now had to score 6 runs off the last two balls. The pressure took the most out of her, as Wolvaardt was also dismissed in the second last ball of the game. Eventually, Gujarat was able to win the game as Sophie Devine defended 7 runs off the last over.

3. Gujarat's Qualification

With their recent win over Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Giants have now reached inches close to their spot in the playoffs. They already stand at the 2nd position with 4 wins, being the only team after RCB with 4 or more wins. If they are able to win their last game against Mumbai Indians, it would confirm their spot in the playoffs and also play a crucial role to eliminate the defending champions.