Mumbai Indians beat Delhi Capitals in Match 7 of the TATA WPL on Thursday at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.
The MI bowlers put on a show under lights as MI bowled DC out for just 102. Sara Ishaque (3/13), Issy Wong (3/10) and Hayley Matthews (3/19) picked up three wickets each and then the openers Yastika Bhatia (41 off 32) and Hayley Mattews (32 off 31) stitched a 65-run opening stand to help MI achieve a comprehensive eight-wicket win.
MI continued their winning juggernaut with three wins from three matches and stayed rooted at the top of the table with six ponts.
Chasing 102, MI got off to a good start as Yastika Bhatia hit a couple of fours through covers off Marizanne Kapp in the first over. Matthews then opened her boundary account as she slashed one over point for a four. She then added three unconvincing fours in the next over, all of them off the edges off Shikha Pandey. Bhatia though continued to hit them off the middle as she drove one down the ground off Kapp for a four and then pulled a couple of balls for consecutive fours in the same over. She then charged down the wicket and lofted one straight down the ground, off Jess Jonassen. MI cruised to 47/0 at the end of the Powerplay.
Bhatia continued to make merry as she welcomed Radha Yadav with a couple of fours off her first two balls. Lanning then introduced Tara Norris into the attack and she brought the breakthrough, trapping Bhatia LBW. The batter reviewed it but replays showed all three reds.
Matthews then finally got her timing right as she smacked one over extra cover and then swept one behind square leg off Jonassen for consecutive fours. But she couldn't continue for long as she mistimed her loft to long off where Jemimah Rodrigues came charging in and pouched a brilliant diving catch. MI were well placed though and going well above the required run rate. Nat Sciver-Brunt and Harmanpreet Kaur then got together and made sure there were no more slip-ups as they chased down the target with 30 balls to spare, with a 32-run unbeaten stand off 21 balls.
Earlier, Delhi Capitals captain Meg Lanning won the toss and elected to bat. They made one change as Minnu Mani replaced Arundhati Reddy in the line-up. Mumbai Indians again went unchanged.
Lanning started off with a boundary first ball as she thumped one through point for a four off Nat Sciver-Brunt. However it was Mumbai Indians from then on as they choked the scoring and picked up wickets.
Saika Ishaque provided the first breakthrough as she cleaned up Shafali Verma, who looked to hit one across the line but missed, in the second over. Nat Sciver-Brunt then bowled a tight over conceding just four. The next two overs yielded just 11. The pressure was building and Pooja Vastrakar used it to good effect as she had Capsey caught at covers for six.
DC were reduced to 29/2 in the Powerplay. They could manage just three fours off the bat.
Issy Wong was then introduced into the attack and she struck in the first over as she made Marizanne Kapp drag one onto the stumps. Jemimah Rodrigues then provided some relief as she hit three fours off Nat Sciver-Brunt. One of them was via an edge but The other two were off the middle as she cut one powerfully through point for a four and then drove one through extra cover for a well-timed four.
Amelia Kerr and Hayley Matthews then bowled a couple of tight overs before Lanning finally got going, hitting three consecutive fours off Kerr.
Just as the partnership between Lanning and Rodrigues was building, MI captain Harmanpreet brought back Ishaque and she provided the breakthrough, cleaning up Rodrigues for 25. One brought two as she had Lanning (43 off 41) caught at extra cover in the same over.
Matthews then joined the wicket-taking party as she had Jess Jonassen caught at backward point and then three balls later, outsmarted Minnu Mani with a clever wide off-spinner which Mani missed as she charged down the wicket and was stumped.
Amid the heap of wickets, Radha Yadv hit the first six of the innings as she cracked one over extra cover off Kerr. However, the DC slide continued as Wong sent back Taniya Bhatia and Radha in the same over, conceding just four runs.
Mathews then wrapped up the innings with her third wicket as she trapped Norris LBW (successfully reviewed), in the 18th over to bowl DC out for 102.
Ishaque, Wong and Matthews finished with three wickets each.