Sophie Devine needed only six deliveries on Saturday night to etch another line in the WPL record book. The Gujarat Giants opener belted 32 off Sneh Rana’s third over at DY Patil Stadium, the most expensive over the tournament has seen, slipping past the previous mark of 28 – also served up by Rana last season.
It happened in a blur. Rana began the sixth over of the powerplay with the Giants 43 for 0. By the time the ball was finally thrown back in, they were 75 without loss and Delhi Capitals looked a touch rattled.
Shashwat Kumar, calling the action on the commentary feed, could hardly keep pace:
“Welcomed with a boundary!” – ball one, a firm whip through mid-wicket.
“Dropped – oh dear!” – ball two, carved to cover-point and put down by Marizanne Kapp.
“Sophie Devine on the charge!” – ball three disappeared over long-on.
“The party continues! Devine has a 25-ball fifty!” – another slog-sweep into the stands.
“Three sixes in a row, and Devine is ripping Rana to shreds!” – same length, same result.
“32 off the over, and that is the most expensive over ever in the WPL!” – a waist-high full toss duly deposited.
Rana, usually Delhi’s banker with the ball, wore a rueful smile at the change-over. She bowled within herself for the rest of her spell, conceding just 13 from her next two overs, but the damage was hard to hide. The Giants, buoyed by the burst, pushed on to a formidable total.
From a tactical angle the over was a perfect storm. Rana tossed up four deliveries in the slot, hoping for drift and dip; Devine simply cleared her front leg and swung with the wind. The solitary drag-down offered no respite. In the modern women’s game, anything short or full can disappear, and tonight everything did.
Devine’s burst underlined, again, how thin the margins are in T20 cricket. One over, six balls, a record rewritten.
