: WPL 2023: Shafali, Lanning, Norris help Delhi start season with big 60-run win over Bangalore (Ld) #IndiaNEWS #Sports Mumbai, March 5 (IANS) A brilliant 162-run opening partnership off 87 balls between

WPL 2023: Shafali, Lanning, Norris help Delhi start season with big 60-run win over Bangalore (Ld) #IndiaNEWS #Sports
Mumbai, March 5 (IANS) A brilliant 162-run opening partnership off 87 balls between Shafali Verma and captain Meg Lanning followed by left-arm pacer Tara Norris becoming the first bowler to pick a five-fer in the inaugural Womens Premier League propelled Delhi Capitals to a comprehensive 60-run win over Royal Challengers Bangalore at Brabourne Stadium on Sunday.
While Shafali top-scored with 84 off 45 balls, including ten fours and two sixes, Meg was fantastic in her 72 off 43 balls, with 14 boundaries against her name. After the duo fell, Marizanne Kapp provided finishing fireworks with an unbeaten 39 off 17 balls, while Jemimah Rodrigues was not out on 22 off 15 balls for Delhi to post a massive 223/2.
In reply, Tara emerged as the chief architect of Bangalores collapse from 89/2 to 96/7. She ended up picking 5/29 in her four overs as Bangalore could make 163/8 in their 20 overs, giving Delhi their first victory of the competition.
Pushed into batting first, carnage from Shafali and Meg began in the second over when three boundaries were hit off Megan Schutt. Spin was introduced by Bangalore from fourth over, but it was no stopping Shafali as she welcomed Preeti Bose with a lofted six over long-off.
With every over till then producing a boundary, Meg and Shafali inflicted carnage on Sophie Devine in the sixth over, attacking the lengths outside off-stump to hit four boundaries as Delhi signed off from powerplay with 57/0.
Post power-play, there was no stopping Shafalis aerial shots or Megs exquisite timing. In the ninth over from Asha Shobana, Shafali danced down the pitch twice to hit huge sixes over bowlers head apart from a sweep yielding four, while Meg nudged one past mid-on to make it 22 off the over.
Shafali reached her half-century, off only 31 balls in the tenth over, raising her bat and also bringing up the 100-run stand of the opening partnership off just 58 balls. In the next over, Meg also got her fifty with a sweep down leg off Heather Knight for a boundary.
Shafali and Meg continued to play their shots, manoeuvre the gaps effortlessly as their partnership went past 150, with Bangalore looking rattled and their seven bowlers listless. But they finally found breakthrough in the 15th over, when Heather had Meg clean bowled while trying to dance down the pitch. Two balls later, Shafali fell as she edged behind to Richa Ghosh.
Marizanne and Jemimah gave the perfect finish to Delhi by hitting six fours and three sixes in the last five overs as the crowd was treated to an amazing batting performance from Delhi. Bangalores chase began with Smriti Mandhana taking two fours, including a sweetly-timed pick-up shot, and a six off Marizanne while Sophie took advantage of width coming from Shikha Pandey to hit three boundaries.

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