UP Warriorz not only delivered one of the most dramatic and thrilling matches in the history of the Women's Premier League winning by a narrow 1-run against Delhi Capitals in the group stage game, but also made history with Deepti Sharma becoming the first Indian player to register a hat-trick. Her spell of three wickets in a row over two overs handed over Alyssa Healy's side their third win of the WPL 2024 season on March 8, Friday in Delhi. (As It Happened | Full Coverage | Schedule And Points Table)
The match was full of surprises on Saturday Night at the Arun Jaitely Stadium. UP Warriorz, won the toss and chose to bat first, setting a target of 139 runs for Delhi Capitals. Meg Lanning's women had a strong start and were confidently moving towards victory with Meg scoring an excellent 60 off 46 balls when the team was standing at 93/3. But then Deepti Sharma turned the plot, bringing down Meg, with the last throw of 14th the over.
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The Capitals still made their way out, but then the Agra-born all-rounder dismissed Annabel Sutherland and Arundhati Reddy in quick succession. Sutherland was out at 124/5, followed by Reddy out at 124/6, spectacular was Sharma indeed. She continued her stellar by delivering her fourth wicket and completing a hat-trick taking down Shikha Pandey at 128/7. DC's Radha Yadav was batting, with the match still not certain for either Healy or Lanning. However, Grace Harris stepped into the drama and defied all expectations, leading the Warriorz to victory by taking down Yadav and Titas Sadhu. The Capitals' chase was dented by just 1 run.
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The 26-year-old, Deepti Sharma contributed to her team in all aspects, not just through her brilliant bowling. The left-hand batter was the highest scorer in UP's innings with 59 runs off 48 balls when her team's score was 135/8. Alyssa Healy, on the other hand, was dismissed after scoring 29 runs, while the team's total stood at 56/2.
In the post-match Interview, Sharma, who remained the Player Of The Match, said, "I backed my strengths and shots. Was thinking of what shots were on and was reading the situation. Was thinking of how we can bowl dots to the set batters, I like challenges when Iβm bowling as well.
Did she know something humdinger would happen like a hat trick in a row?
"No, I didnβt know. I always stay ready for a caught and bowled. Was always thinking of how we can get the game back. Want to keep the process the same, there is no limit to learning and I want to keep learning," she said
Deepti Sharma is the 3rd ranked all-rounder in the ICC cricket rankings. She plays cricket for UP Warriorz, Bengal, Birmingham Phoenix and India.
