Lanning upstaged as Verma blazes five sixes in rapid chase

Meg Lanning has maintained her advantage as the Women's Premier League's leading run-scorer in the competition's inaugural season, but teammate Shafali Verma narrowed her gap at the top with a stunning 19-ball half-century.

Australia's inspiring captain added another unbeaten 21 runs to her tournament-leading tally of 206 in Delhi Capitals' crushing 10-wicket victory over Gujarat Giants at Mumbai's DY Patil Stadium on Saturday.

Yet even Lanning was happy to play a very distant second fiddle to the dazzling knock of her teenage opening partner, Verma.

After her bowlers had throttled the Giants, keeping them to 9-105 from their 20 overs, Lanning could only lean back and admire the thrilling batting at the other end as the 19-year-old Verma raced to an unbeaten 76, blitzing five sixes and 10 fours in 28 balls of carnage.

It enabled the duo, the most successful opening pair in the tournament, to reach 107 off just 7.1 overs as the Capitals moved to second in the table with six points, the same as leaders Mumbai Indians, who have the superior net-run-rate.

Verma is now second in the run charts behind Lanning, who grinned after her previous match that she felt "a bit silly" in the orange cap that signifies the tournament's leading run-scorer.

After their latest win, though, she's still out in front with 206 runs at an average of 68.67, with Verma on 179 at 59.67.

"Shafali certainly looked as if she was (trying to make sure she caught an early flight)," Lanning laughed.

"That was a pretty cool show to watch from the other end. I was just cheerleading from the non-strikers' end. Some pretty clean hitting, some of the best I've seen, a pretty amazing performance."

Typically, though, Lanning didn't mention, until asked at the post-match presentation, her simple words of advice to the youngster before the super show.

"I did say to her, 'just keep it simple, stay still and hit the ball straight' – and that's exactly what she did," admitted Lanning, who may come to rue that tip with Verma set to torment Australia's bowlers for years to come.

"It was a lot of fun out there and hopefully she can continue on and be really confident from this innings and know that by keeping it really simple that's going to be a great way to have the success that she wants."

On Saturday, it was Ash Gardner, the Giants' Aussie allrounder who got the treatment, with Verma hitting her for 4, 4 and 6 before Lanning took a couple more fours off the last two balls. 

That sole over went for 23 runs, which compounded a horror night for Gardner who also got a golden duck for the second time in the competition.

Gardner was one of Marizanne Kapp's five victims, with the South African pipping Verma for player of the match with her 5-15.

For the Giants, who at one stage were 6-33, Australian pair Kim Garth (32no off 37) and Georgia Wareham (22 off 25) at least provided a partial salvage job before the Verma show brought the house down.

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