In a thrilling encounter in the WPL 2024, the opening match saw an electrifying moment as Shabnim Ismail, the talented bowler, sent Shafali Verma’s middle stump flying to draw the first blood of the tournament.
WPL 2024 kicked off in style with an extravagant opening ceremony graced by several popular names in Indian cinema.
Global star Shahrukh Khan also performed in front of the Banglore crowd before Harmanpreet Kaur flipped the coin to start the proceedings of the brand-new WPL season.
The defending champions, Mumbai Indians’ captain, Harmanpreet Kaur, invited Delhi Capitals to bat first. Explosive opening batter Shafali Verma walked out with skipper Meg Lanning to cause early destruction in the powerplay.
Shefali Verma, known for her aggressive batting style and explosive strokeplay, had been expected to play a crucial role for her team in the opening encounter of the WPL 2024. However, Ismail had other plans as she delivered a peach of a delivery that left Verma completely bamboozled.
With a hint of slight movement off the surface, Ismail rolled her fingers to bowl a length delivery. The ball swung across the line very late and beat Verma, who saw her middle stump shattered in dismay.
CASTLED! 🎯
— Women's Premier League (WPL) (@wplt20) February 23, 2024
Shabnim Ismail with a spectacular delivery to claim the first wicket of Season 2 🔥🔥#TATAWPL | #MIvDC | @mipaltan pic.twitter.com/H7TBL0Klre
The wicket of Verma drew first blood in the WPL 2024 and injected an added layer of excitement and anticipation into the tournament.
Not to take any credit off Ismail, but Verma clearly succumbed to the pressure of a few dot balls. She left the crease without making much of an impact on the scoreboard, thus putting the Capitals in jeopardy. Meg Lanning and Alice Capsey are now on the crease to rebuild the Delhi Capitals’ innings.
