A valiant effort from the South African batters, Lizelle Lee (86 off 54) and Laura Wolvaardt (77 off 38), could not get DC over the line as they lost their second game in a row while chasing 210 with Gujarat Giants emerging as the winners by four runs in a last-ball thriller in WPL.
Put in to bat first, Sophie Devine unleashed her trademark power-hitting. Beth Mooney began with a boundary off Marizanne Kapp, but the narrative quickly shifted to DC’s poor fielding and Devine’s ruthless batting. In the final over of the powerplay, DC skipper Jemimah Rodrigues turned to experienced spinner Sneh Rana, but Devine took her apart, hitting four sixes and two boundaries for 32 runs – the most conceded in a single over in WPL history. The previous record, 28 runs, was conceded by Rana.
Devine did not look back after that. GG raced to 80 without loss in the first six overs. It took a brilliant catch from Sree Charani, who wasn’t the best on the field in the recently concluded T20I series against Sri Lanka Women, to break the opening stand and bring DC back into the contest. GG skipper Ashleigh Gardner promoted herself to No. 3 and struck a quickfire 49 off 26 balls, while the rest of the batting lineup offered little support.
Devine fell five runs short of a century, dismissed for 95 – the second time she has been out in the nineties, having earlier suffered the same fate while playing for RCB. A sharp flying catch at cover from Jemimah sent Georgia Wareham back, and GG began to collapse like a pack of cards. Nandani Sharma, who had dismissed Devine, returned to bowl the final over with GG at 207/6. What followed was extraordinary: a hat-trick and four wickets in the over, conceding just two runs, as GG were bowled out for 209.
DC’s chase began with Lizelle Lee and Shafali Verma at the top. Lee looked fluent from the outset, while Shafali, despite striking two boundaries, never appeared settled and was completely foxed by Rajeshwari Gayakwad. Laura Wolvaardt walked in at No. 3 and, together with Lee, stitched a partnership that reignited belief in the DC camp. The pair added 90 runs in 55 balls before Kashvee Gautam dismissed Lee, leaving DC needing 79 off 34 deliveries.
At the time of Lee’s dismissal, Wolvaardt was on 28 off 20. She then shifted gears emphatically, scoring 49 runs off her next 17 balls. The equation came down to seven required off the final over, with Sophie Devine entrusted with the ball. A single off the first delivery was followed by a loose shot from DC captain Jemimah, swinging the pressure firmly back onto Wolvaardt. With five needed off two balls, Wolvaardt attempted to clear the boundary but was caught at deep midwicket.
Game, set, match. GG clinched their second win of the season by four runs in what was a pulsating finish.
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