Ellyse Perry’s heroics were again in vain as Jess Jonassen sent her Royal Challengers Bangalore team to the brink of elimination in the Women’s Premier League.
Perry hit her second successive half-century, cracking an unbeaten 67 off 52 balls with five sixes, but Delhi Capitals chased down RCB’s 4-150 in Mumbai with two balls and six wickets to spare.
Perry had won the battle against Jonassen in the first innings, hitting her Australian teammate for two sixes, but with the ball she was unable to break the match-winning partnership of Jonassen (29no off 15) and Marizanne Kapp (32no off 32).
That delivered the Capitals’ fourth win in five matches, drawing them level on points with Mumbai Indians at the top of the table. RCB, however, remain without a victory in five matches. They must win their remaining three matches and hope results go their way, but if they lose on Wednesday to Alyssa Healy’s UP Warriorz they will be unable to progress.
A 6⃣ & 4⃣ from @JJonassen21 to seal the chase in style 😎
🔙 to 🔙 victories in the #TATAWPL for @DelhiCapitals 🙌🏻
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/E13BL44W8T #DCvRCB pic.twitter.com/IxMdX8V6a5
— Women’s Premier League (WPL) (@wplt20) March 13, 2023
Perry, who has now scored 195 runs at an average 48.75 in the tournament, began cautiously, getting the feel of what she described as a ‘two-paced’ pitch, and was only 12 off 20 balls and 25 off 35. On her 38th ball she batted a shortish delivery from Shikha Pandey back to the bowler who could not hang on.
Two balls later Perry drove Pandey for six over long-in and the shackles were off. She hit 37 off her last 23 balls.
Perry was given good support by India’s Richa Ghosh (37 off 16) while New Zealander Sophie Devine made 21 off 19.
Megan Schutt then gave RCB the perfect start when she bowled Shafali Verma second ball, her inswinger doing the trick as it often has in their international encounters.
With Lanning, starved of strike, watching on, England’s Alice Capsey took the attack to RCB cracking a series of boundaries. However, after four in succession in the fifth over she was caught on the deep mid-wicket rope by Perry for a 24-ball 38.
Lanning was next to go for an uncharacteristically quiet 18-ball 15, followed by Jemimah Rodrigues for 32 off 28.
That brought Kapp and Jonassen together with 42 needed off 33 balls and six wickets in hand.
Scuhtt was bowled out, taking 1-24 in four overs, followed by Perry (0-28).
It came down to seven off four with Jonassen at the crease. The Queenslander launched a pull towards Perry on the deep leg-side boundary and over her despairing jump for six. The next ball Jonassen slapped for four and Capitals were home.
“It got much closer than we would have liked but I was happy to be there at the end and get the team over the line,” said Jonassen.
Such is the power of Australia’s line-up the allrounder rarely gets the chance to show her batting prowess at international level and she has relished the opportunity in the WPL hitting 73 runs off just 38 balls, being dismissed just once in the process.
Collecting her second player of the match award she added: “It is really hard in the Australian line-up to get up the order, I’m starved of opportunity in that team, but in domestic cricket I bat in the lower order and try and finish games. More innings like this are hopefully coming.”
Aussies in WPL 2023
Delhi Capitals: Meg Lanning, Jess Jonassen, Laura Harris
Gujarat Giants: Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Beth Mooney, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham
Mumbai Indians: Heather Graham
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Erin Burns
UP Warriorz: Tahlia McGrath, Grace Harris, Alyssa Healy
