Jittery DC clinch Eliminator spot

It almost happened again! This time though, the overall target was well below par and that played a part in Delhi Capitals somehow scraping through in jittery fashion against UP Warriorz to clinch their place in the Eliminator. Needing a win to qualify, DC restricted UPW to 122/8 and were cruising at 83/1 after 12 overs in the chase. Four overs later, they were clearly rattled after being reduced to 101/5 before skipper Jemimah Rodrigues stayed until the end to ensure an encore wasn't in store.

The chase started with Lizelle Lee departing early. Laura Wolvaardt and Shafali Verma then steadied the ship, taking DC to 38/1 by the end of the powerplay. With the required run rate never an issue, both batters were aided by reprieves in the field. Wolvaardt turned on the heat by smacking Kranti Gaud for four boundaries in five balls as DC reached 70/1 at the halfway point.

Shafali took a backseat as Wolvaardt put her side on course for an easy win. But Wolvaardt's dismissal in the 13th over triggered a collapse. Shikha Pandey struck to remove Shafali before Sophie Ecclestone and Deepti Sharma claimed Marizanne Kapp and Chinelle Henry, leaving Rodrigues stranded. The skipper relieved pressure with a boundary via a sweep, then a lofted cover drive in the following over. She eventually sealed the win with back-to-back boundaries in the penultimate over.

The win was set up by the bowlers earlier. Meg Lanning was dismissed lbw by Henry on the first ball. While Deepti Sharma and Charli Knott tried to counter with boundaries, Kapp removed them both in successive overs. Shree Charani began her spell with a wicket, dismissing Harleen Deol for 3 off 11 balls.

Kapp returned to finish her spell at the halfway mark, taking the key wicket of Deandra Dottin. At 52/5 after 10 overs, UPW had no way out. Simran Shaikh added crucial runs before her departure, and contributions from Asha Sobhana and Pandey helped UPW past 120. Given how the contest finished, 10-12 more runs could have made a massive difference.

DC will now face Gujarat Giants in the Eliminator, with the winner taking on Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the final.

Brief scores: UP Warriorz 122/8 in 20 overs (Deepti Sharma 24; Marizanne Kapp 3/30, Shree Charani 2/22) lost to Delhi Capitals 126/5 in 18.4 overs (Laura Wolvaardt 47, Jemimah Rodrigues 34*; Deepti Sharma 2/27) by 5 wickets.