Vadodara (Gujarat) [India], February 5 (ANI): Before the start of WPL 2026 final match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Delhi Capitals (DC) in Gujarat on Thursday, dancing queen Malaika Arora and music sensation Talwiinder enthralled the audience with their performances.
Malaika was seen performing to her iconic song ‘Chaiyya Chaiyya’ from Shah Rukh Khan-starrer ‘Dil Se..’. Talwiinder crooned his hit tracks such as ‘Nasha’, and ‘Pal Pal’.
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Coming to the match, after being asked to bat first, the Delhi Capitals were off to a cautious start, scoring just 9/0 in three runs. However, Lizelle Lee and Shafali Verma shifted gears as the Capitals reached 36/0 after five overs.
Speedster Arundhati Reddy got the much-needed breakthrough after she dismissed Verma during the fifth ball of the sixth over. Reddy dismissed the Delhi opener for 20 off 13 balls, with three fours. She also broke the 53-run stand for the opening wicket.
During the third ball of the eighth over, Nadine de Klerk dismissed wicketkeeper-batter Lee for 37 off 30 balls, with three fours and three sixes, as Capitals reached 74/2.
After the end of 10 overs, Delhi scored 94/2, with captain Jemimah Rodrigues and Laura Wolvaardt steadying the ship for their side.
Jemimah and Wolvaardt continued their domination over Bengaluru overs as Delhi made 113/2 after the end of 12 overs. The Delhi captain slammed her century in 32 deliveries during the fifth ball of the 15th over.
32-ball fifty by Rodrigues is the second quickest in WPL playoffs behind Nat Sciver-Brunt’s 29-ball fifty against GG-W in last year’s eliminator.
Jemimah also became the third player to hit 50-plus scores in the WPL finals after Harmanpreet Kaur and Nat Sciver-Brunt. However, Sayali Satghare removed Jemimah during the 16th over. Rodrigues made 57 off 37 balls, with eight fours.
After the end of the 18th over, the Capitals reached a commanding position of 164/3. Towards the end, Chinelle Henry’s blistering cameo of unbeaten 35 off 15 deliveries, with four boundaries and two sixes and Wolvaardt’s fantastic 44 off 25 balls, with three fours and two sixes, helped Delhi post a mammoth target of 204 runs.
For Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Sayali Satghare, Arundhati Reddy, and Nadine de Klerk scalped one wicket apiece. (ANI)
