Shafali and Jonassen power DC into playoffs

Shafali Verma and Jess Jonassen smashed merciless unbeaten fifties to steer Delhi Capitals (DC) into the WPL 2025 playoffs with a nine-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Saturday. It was RCB's fourth defeat in a row, and they ended without a single win in the Bengaluru leg of the tournament.

Ellyse Perry once again led RCB's fight after they were sent in, scoring an unbeaten 60 to help the side post 147 for 5, but it wasn't enough against the table-toppers, who had Shikha Pandey and debutant left-arm spinner Shree Charani picking up two wickets apiece.

The chase though got off on a tricky note for DC, who lost Meg Lanning in the third over, but Shafali and Jonassen put on an unbroken 146 for the second wicket off just 77 balls - the highest partnership for any wicket in a WPL run chase. The Chinnaswamy was left silenced as DC romped home with 27 balls remaining.

Perry came into this game with three fifties in RCB's first five games, and she was once again central to her team's fortunes on a slow surface. While there were starts from Danni Wyatt-Hodge (21 off 18) and Raghvi Bist (33 off 32), neither went on to a big score. It was left to Perry to anchor the innings and keep the scorecard ticking at a healthy rate.

Coming in after Pandey had dismissed Smriti Mandhana in the second over for another low score (8), Perry was up and running in Pandey's next over by crashing a wide half-volley over the covers for four. She then hit a six each off spinners Jonassen, Charani and Minnu Mani.

Perry put on a brisk 44 with Wyatt-Hodge for the second wicket, and 66 with Bist for the third. With Bist struggling to middle the ball, however, that partnership consumed 54 balls.

Perry reached her fourth fifty of the season, off 37 balls, in the 14th over. At the end of the 16th over, RCB were 119 for 2 and eyeing a strong finish. But they fell apart, scoring just 28 in the last four overs for the loss of three wickets. Perry only faced seven balls in the last five overs, scoring eight runs off them.

With 295 runs in six innings, Perry has overtaken Nat Sciver-Brunt to become the tournament's leading run-scorer.

DC preferred Charani over fast bowler Titas Sadhu and she looked in her element. Unfazed by the huge turnout at the Chinnaswamy, Charani used the turn that was on offer in the first innings, kept the stumps in play, constantly angling the ball into middle and leg over the course of a tight spell. She removed Bist and Richa Ghosh in a momentum-changing 17th over to deflate RCB at the death, and ended with figures of 2 for 28 from four overs.

Mandhana owned the Chinnaswamy during WPL 2024, scoring 219 runs in five innings, including two half-centuries, at a strike rate of 154.22. This season, however, she has perished to ill-judged shots, accumulating just 50 runs in four innings at her home ground at a strike rate of 102.04. On Saturday, she chased a Pandey delivery shaping away from off stump and edged to Lanning at wide slip.

RCB had an excellent start to their bowling powerplay, conceding just five runs in the first three overs. Renuka Singh displayed excellent control with her swing, with almost all of her deliveries finishing within the stumps. She removed Lanning for a 12-ball 2, with Perry taking a sharp chance at mid-on. But once Jonassen joined Shafali, runs started flowing for DC, and it became hard for RCB to keep them quiet.

This was the second time Jonassen walked out at No. 3. She had scored another unbeaten 61 from that position at the same ground against Gujarat Giants. With DC's top order predominantly made up of right-hand batters, they promoted the left-handed Jonassen and it began to unsettle RCB. Jonassen looked fluent in her 38-ball stay, hitting nine fours and a straight six off left-arm spinner Ekta Bisht.

Shafali, who had been out in the 40s three times before this game, played a composed knock, showing a desire to not throw her wicket away after a bright start. She ended with her top score of the season, smashing eight fours and four sixes (two each on the off and leg sides) and hammered the bowling to all parts.

As DC neared their target, RCB's bowling began to wither, and Shafali and Jonassen duly punished them. From 68 for 1 after nine overs, DC sprinted to their target, hitting eight fours and five sixes while ransacking 83 runs off what turned out to be the last 39 balls of their innings.