Skill and will: Debutant Niki’s talent and maturity came to the fore as she led Capitals’ chase.
| Photo Credit: SPORTZPICS/WPL
She led India to victory at the Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup earlier this month. Niki Prasad on Saturday night announced her arrival on the bigger stage.
Nikis’s 33-ball 35 (4×4) helped Delhi Capitals pull off a last-ball win against Mumbai Indians in the second game of the third edition of the WPL at the BCA Stadium here.
She may have regretted getting out off the second last ball with just two required, but Arundhati Reddy and Radha Yadav managed to finish the job, as DC won by two wickets.
It was nevertheless a superb effort from Niki, who showed fine temperament to help her side overcome a batting collapse, chasing MI’s 164.
Capitals was given a stunning start to the innings by the explosive Shafali Verma.
The opener struck an 18-ball 43 (7×4, 2×6) and added 60 for the first wicket with captain Meg Lanning off just 35 balls.
Shafali had begun with five successive boundaries in the innings’ second over, bowled by Saika Ishaque. But after hitting Hayley Matthews for a couple of fours and a six in the West Indian’s first over, she gave a catch to mid-wicket off the fifth ball.
Two balls later, Shabnim Ismail knocked off Lanning’s off-stump. Before long, DC slid from 60 for no loss to 76 for four.
Then Niki calmed the nerves in the dugout. Sarah Bryce (21, 10b, 2×4, 1×6), another debutant, also did her bit, adding crucial 31 runs for the sixth wicket with Niki.
Then a mighty six over deep-wicket off the last ball of the 19th over by Radha off Saika meant DC needed 10 off the last over.
Earlier, it was a superb knock from Nat Sciver-Brunt 80 (59b, 13×4) that held the MI innings together. There was also a 22-ball 42 (4×4, 3×6) by skipper Harmanpreet Kaur.
But, the night would belong to a younger Indian captain.
Published – February 16, 2025 04:06 am IST