WPL 2023, UP Warriorz vs Delhi Capitals, Highlights: DC Enter WPL Final

Right then, the league stage of the inaugural edition of the Women's T20 League 2023 has come to an end and it is now time to move on to the knockout matches. It is Delhi who are the first confirmed finalists and they will play the winner of the Eliminator game on Sunday, the 26th of March. The Eliminator game will now be played between Mumbai and UP at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai on Friday, the 24th of March. The match will begin at 7.30 pm IST (2 pm GMT) but our build-up will begin much sooner. So, who will book their place in the final alongside Delhi? Join us in a couple of days time to find out. Till then, take care and goodbye!

Alice Capsey is the PLAYER OF THE MATCH for her brilliant display with both bat and ball. Capsey says that it was a different role that she played in this game than the one she played last time around and is really glad she could help the team. Mentions it was all about building a partnership and stay calm under pressure. Adds that getting in a battle with Sophie Ecclestone was fun, and says that it is always fun to battle with your mates.

Meg Lanning, the captain of Delhi, says that she doesn't think about being the leading run-scorer much and is happy to help the team. Adds that they weren't at their best in this game and were sloppy in the field as wll but it is good to get a win when not being at your best. Says that there was purchase for the spinners and it came on a bit better with the new ball and spin was effective later on. Mentions that they have depth in their side and you need that to win games. Ends by saying that they will try to relax for a couple of days and get back into the preparation for the final.

The Presentation ceremony...

Jess Jonassen is down for a quick chat. She says that they have a huge advantage as they make it through to the finals. Mentions that they will sit back and watch the Eliminator. Says that she has been delighted with all the girls. Informs that they have got a incredible group of players and it feels like a huge family. Adds that the games have been so rapid, so the girls haven't been able to get some break, so maybe they will get back on the field in a couple of days. Ends by saying that she feels that can be the first Delhi franchise to win the cup.

UP skipper, Alyssa Healy informs that they were trying to give some rest to their main players. Adds that Shabnim Ismail's brace gave them a sniff but they could not make it count. States that the conditions were not easier to bat on. Adds that they will reflect on their mistakes and fix a few areas, as they will face Mumbai next.

Earlier in the game, Meg Lanning had no hesitation in bowling first and it turned out to be a good decision. UP got off to a solid start as their openers found a bit of rhythm but then the Delhi bowlers made a comeback into the game. the Australian pair of Alyssa Healy and Tahlia McGrath tried their best but once Healy got out, McGrath had to do it all alone. Radha Yadav and Jess Jonassen bowled really well and ended with 2 and 3 wickets respectively. McGrath did manage to turn on the heat toward the end and finished with 58* off 32 balls to take UP to 138 defendable runs. Coming to the chase, Delhi got their noses well in front via their openers and from then on it was about game management and they were able to get the win pretty comfotably.

UP made changes to their team and in the end, it didn't work out. Tahlia McGrath gave them a fighting chance with the bat but Shabnim Ismail went for 20 runs in the first over of the chase which proved to be a big blow for them. After that the bowlers were hammered a bit but Ismail came back in strongly to get rid of Jemimah Rodrigues and Meg Lanning in the same over. They then bowled decently but failed to pick up wickets in the middle phase. Sophie Ecclestone did pick up a wicket and bowled a lovely over to become the outright leading wicket-taker of the tournament but they just didn't have enough runs on the board. They will now look to bounce back in the Eliminator game after a couple of days.

Delhi needed 139 runs to win which wasn't a big target but wasn't a simple one to chase down either. But, as has been the case for most of their campaign, the pair of Shafali Verma and Meg Lanning simply put them ahead in the game inside the Powerplay. The pair added 56 runs before Verma got out and Lanning too followed suit and Delhi were 3 down in a hurry. It was then Alice Capsey who played a gem of a knock and added on 60 crucial runs with Marizanne Kapp to take Delhi near the finish line. Kapp stayed on as a couple of wickets fell and hit the winning runs.

DELHI STORM INTO THE FINAL! Mumbai bossed the points table right from the first game but Delhi managed to keep pace with them and have ended up toppling them off the top of the table. Another commanding win for them and they will now look ahead for the grand finale a few days later.

FOUR! Here are the winning runs! Marizanne Kapp has done the job for her side. Touch short, outside off. Kapp goes back and cuts it through point for a boundary. DELHI WIN THE MATCH BY 5 WICKETS.

Fuller, on leg. Kapp flicks it past mid on and colllects a brace.

Arundhati Reddy is in next.

OUT! RUN OUT! A huge mix-up and UP pounce on this opportunity. Full and on off. Jess Jonassen reverse sweeps it to point. Jess Jonassen ventures out looking for a single. Soppadhandi Yashasri throws it to Deepti Sharma at the non-strikers end. Sharma dives with the ball and gets the bails off.

Tosses it up, outside off. Jess Jonassen tries to hit it through the line but gets beaten by the turn here.

Floated, outside off, Jess Jonassen defends it out solidly.

FOUR! Marizanne Kapp finds the boundary. Delhi getting closer to the victory. It is fuller, on off. Marizanne Kapp smacks it over mid on for four runs.

WIDE! The umpire signals a wide now as Sophie Ecclestone spills it down the leg side.

JAFFA! Sophie Ecclestone angles it in, full and around off. It grips and turns away sharply with some extra bounce. Marizanne Kapp goes back and keeps her bat to herself.

BYE! It is pushed through quicker, outside off. Alyssa Healy fails to grab it. They cross for a bye.