The ace all-rounder Deepti Sharma produced a memorable performance to boost UP Warriorz to a 1-run win against Delhi Capitals in the crucial Women’s Premier League 2024 game on Friday.

Deepti top-scored with 59 runs off 48 balls to help UP Warriorz post 138 batting first and then took a hat-trick to bowl out Delhi Capitals on 137. A win kept UP Warriorz alive in the race for the knockout qualification with six points in seven games. 

Captain Meg Lanning kept the game in favour of Delhi for the majority of the time with her fourth fifty of the season. But Deepti Sharma’s two big wickets in the 19th over paved the way for the Warriorz’s comeback followed by a match-winning three-wicket heroics from Grace Harris in the 20th over. 

Alyssa Healy won the toss and recalled Tahlia McGrath who replaced Chamari Athapaththu in the playing eleven. South African all-rounder Marizanne Kapp missed the game for Delhi and was replaced by Annabel Sutherland. 

After losing Kiran Navgire early in the second over, Alyssa Healy and promoted Deepti Sharma added 46 runs for the second wicket. Healy departed after scoring 29 runs and then Warriorz witnessed a collapse. 

Deepti managed to pull her second consecutive fifty by scoring 59 off 48 balls as UP Warriorz posted 138/8 in 20 overs. Radha Yadav and Titas Sidhu picked two wickets each for disciplined Delhi Capitals.

Saima Thakor gave UP Warriorz a positive start with Shafali Verma’s big wicket in the fourth over but Lanning and Alice Capsey kept Delhi in a driving seat with a 45-run stand for the second wicket. Deepti dismissed Lanning on the last ball of the 14th over to raise some hopes for UP Warriorz in the closing stages.

Deepti next returned to bowl in the 19th over when Delhi needed just 15 runs to win the game. Deepti dismissed Annabel Sutherland and Arundhati Reddy on the back-to-back deliveries to complete her maiden WPL hat-trick and brought UP back in the game

Deepti also dismissed Shikha Pandey on the fourth ball to claim her fourth wicket of the game. Healy introduced Grace Harris in the last over of the game when Delhi needed 10 runs to win. The Australian batting all-rounder conceded a six off Radha Yadav on the very first ball but made a sensational comeback with three wickets on three balls, one from a run out, to bowl out Delhi on 137. 

UP Warriorz Playing XI: Alyssa Healy (c & wk), Kiran Navgire, Tahlia McGrath, Grace Harris, Shweta Sehrawat, Deepti Sharma, Poonam Khemnar, Sophie Ecclestone, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Gouher Sultana, Saima Thakor

Delhi Capitals Playing XI: Meg Lanning (c), Shafali Verma, Alice Capsey, Jemimah Rodrigues, Annabel Sutherland, Jess Jonassen, Arundhati Reddy, Radha Yadav, Taniya Bhatia (wk), Shikha Pandey, Titas Sadhu