Former India captain Mithali Raj has extolled Shafali Verma and Jess Jonassen for their match-winning 140-run partnership, which powered Delhi Capitals to a dominant nine-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on March 1 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Shafali remained unbeaten at 80 off 43 balls, after scoring eight fours and four sixes, with Jonassen support from the other end with her 38-ball 61, featuring nine boundaries and a six.
Delhi Capitals seamlessly chased 148 in just 15.1 overs, giving RCB their fourth straight loss. Delhi became the first team to qualify for the WPL 2025 playoffs with this victory, having five wins in seven games.
‘The way she constructed her innings today was truly special’ – Mithali Raj on Shafali Verma’s knock against RCB
Speaking on JioHotstar, Mithali Raj highlighted Shafali’s ability to build a long innings and lauded the duo’s exceptional partnership.
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“So far, we’ve spoken a lot about the opening partnership for Delhi Capitals, with over 300-run partnerships. But this, I believe, is the first time Shafali Verma has stitched together a 140-run partnership with a number three batter—Jess Jonassen. The way she constructed her innings today was truly special. We’ve often seen her get into the 40s during the powerplay and then throw her wicket away. However, today, she ensured she played into the middle overs, complementing Jess Jonassen at the other end and seeing her team through. This is exactly what we expect from her, and hopefully, she continues to do this for Delhi Capitals in the coming seasons,” Mithali stated.
Mithali also hailed Shafali for her game awareness, noting how she paced her innings before launching her attack in the middle overs.
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Mithali Raj noted, “When Jess Jonassen joined Shafali, her strike rate was actually ahead of Shafali’s, and she was striking the ball better with the number of boundaries she hit. For a long period, Shafali didn’t attempt a big shot for a maximum. But in the middle overs, once the spinners came in, she started unleashing those massive sixes, one of which went 82 meters. I think she now understands her role. If she values her wicket and bats for 20 overs, she’s already on 80 runs. She has the potential to be one of those batters who, if she plays a little longer in T20 cricket, will have centuries to her name. And that could make a massive impact on the team’s total.”
As Delhi Capitals have qualified for the play-offs for the third time straight, it will be interesting to see who will be the other two teams who will qualify for the WPL 2025 knockouts.
