Match Details
Marizanne Kapp (Player of the Match): "I just wanted to perform so badly for my team. In the previous three games, I missed my lines very much and wanted to step up tonight. If you want to perform, you have to put in the hard work. I let the team down in the three games so wanted it badly. It is tough as an all-rounder. If you pick wickets and don’t score runs, it feels bad. Luckily, I didn’t bat tonight. We have got a great group of players and happy to get across the line tonight."
Earlier in the day, after electing to bat first, Laura Wolvaardt spearheaded the innings for Giants alongside Sabbhineni Meghana but it wasn’t long enough before Marizanne Kapp cleaned up Meghana 0(2) with a skillful yorker in just the second ball of the innings. However, that did not cease Kapp’s rampage and the right-armer produced two more breakthroughs in quick succession. She first removed Wolvaardt 1(2) with an unplayable inswinger and that was followed by the massive wicket of Ashleigh Gardner 0(1), who was trapped in front.
Shikha Pandey also chipped in with a scalp of Dayalan Hemalatha 5(5) and left Giants reeling at 31/5 after the end of the powerplay. Kapp continued to dictate the ball on her accordance and bagged a sensational five-wicket haul and finished her stint on 5/15 in 4 overs. Georgia Wareham and Kim Garth tried to resurrect the innings by stitching an important 33-run partnership but it was Radha Yadav who dismissed Wareham 22(25) to completely swing the pendulum in favor of the Capitals.
The right-hander Kim Garth kept ticking the scorecard from the other end and played a resilient knock of 32* (37). Eventually, it was her knock that aided Captials to go past the 100-run threshold and give bowlers something to uphold. Apart from Kapp, Shikha Pandey also bowled exceptionally well and finished her stint on 3/26 while Radha Yadav was economical by scalping a breakthrough.
Skipper Meg Lanning also played the second fiddle to perfection and cruised the powerplay score to 87/0, which is the highest powerplay score so far in this tournament. Eventually, the skipper Lanning 21* (15) finished the proceedings with a boundary and bagged two crucial points for the Capitals. Shafali Verma ended the innings on 76* (28), including 10 fours and 5 maximums at a whopping strike rate of 271.43. So, it was a comprehensive victory for the Capitals and it was another pure entertainer in the WPL. Stick around for the post-match presentation!