WPL 2023: 'Born to lose' - Fans troll RCB as Shafali, Lanning's glorious stand guides DC to 60-run triumph

WPL 2023: Royal Challengers Bangalore was off to a jittery start, losing its opener to Delhi Capitals by 60 runs. Meanwhile, fans took to Twitter to troll the former, slamming the side for not learning from the men's team's 15-year woes.

Shafali Verma and Meg Lanning castigated attacking half-centuries. At the same time, pacer Tara Norris claimed a fifer as Delhi Capitals (DC) thrashed Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by 60 runs in its 2023 Women's Premier League (WPL) opener at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday. Norris eradicated the RCB line-up, finishing with figures of 5/29 after DC had posted an imposing 223/2.

Chasing the humongous target of 224, the Smriti Mandhana-led side could manage 163/8 in its stipulated 20 overs. Thanks to opener Shafali and Australian skipper Lanning's impeccable knocks of 84 and 72 runs, respectively, DC put up WPL's second straight 200-plus total. Mumbai Indians (MI) had notched 207/5 before bowling Gujarat Giants (GG) out for a paltry 64 in the inaugural WPL tie at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Saturday.

Although the young Indian opener Shafali played some stunning and decisive strokes in her 84-run knock that arrived off 45 deliveries, which included ten fours and four sixes, Lanning was even clinical in her slugs, cracking 72 off 43 balls, including 14 fours, as the duo annihilated and left the RCB bowling reeling.

The duo's majestic stand of 162 ended equally dramatically, with both falling in the 15th over, with English off-spinner Heather Knight accounting for a couple off the third and fifth balls of her second over. The pair's return to the dugout off the third and fifth delivery of the 15th did not delay the scoring rate. Marizanne Kapp (39 not out) and young Indian batter Jemimah Rodrigues (22 not out) helped DC surpass the 200-run mark.