The Women’s Delhi Premier League witnessed high drama at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, where Central Delhi Queens pulled off a nail-biting 1-wicket win against North Delhi Strikers.
Chasing 118 for victory, the Queens were pushed to the brink before holding their nerve in the very last over. The chase began on a shaky note, with the Queens stumbling to 43/4, as the Strikers’ bowlers struck at regular intervals.
Monika emerged as the key batter, keeping her side in the hunt with a gritty 36 off 39 balls. Her dismissal via a run-out, however, left the Queens under pressure, still requiring runs from the lower order.
The game went down the wire in the final over with the Queens needing 14 runs with just two wickets in hand. They managed 12 off the first five deliveries before Parunika Sisodia was stumped on a wide ball from Nazma.
With two needed from two, tension gripped the ground. Priya
Mishra, walking in last, lofted the ball straight to mid-on, only for the fielder to put down the chance as it went to the boundary to hand the Queens a dramatic victory with just one ball to spare.
For the Strikers, Nazma starred with the ball, taking 3 for 24 in 3.5 overs.
Earlier, North Delhi Strikers put up a modest 117/4 in 20 overs, recovering from 53/4 through a composed, unbeaten 64-run partnership between Nazma (40 off 30) and Laxmi Yadav (28 off 40). Apart from them, Ayushi Soni scored a brisk 27 off 19.
With this win, the Central Delhi Queens have qualified for the finals.
Brief Scores:
North Delhi Strikers: 117/4 in 20 overs (Nazma 40, Laxmi Yadav 28)
Central Delhi Queens: 118/9 in 19.5 overs (Monika 36; Nazma 3/24)
