Sophie Devine delivered another nerveless final over as Gujarat Giants edged past Delhi Capitals in a thrilling contest, defending a single-digit target at the death to stay alive in the playoff race.
Sophie Devine may roll her eyes at the wordplay that follows her match-winning exploits, but when she repeatedly turns chaos into control, the headlines almost write themselves. On Tuesday, the New Zealand allrounder once again stood tall at the death, producing another nerveless final over to shatter Delhi Capitals’ hopes and script a stunning escape for Gujarat Giants.
It was déjà vu in every sense. For the second time this season, Devine defended a near-impossible target in the final over, denying Delhi in dramatic fashion when the margins were razor-thin.
Delhi’s pursuit of 175 looked all but over when they slumped to 100 for 6 midway through the 15th over, with Chinelle Henry dismissed. Sneh Rana joined Niki Prasad at the crease, facing a daunting equation of 70 needed from the final five overs.
Gujarat skipper Ashleigh Gardner conceded ten in the 16th over, but the tide truly turned in the next. Devine, usually ice-cool at the death, endured an uncharacteristically expensive spell as Prasad launched a calculated counterattack. Four boundaries in succession pierced the off-side, before Rana finished the over with a six, making it a decisive 23-run surge that reignited belief in the Delhi camp.
Suddenly, the target shrank to 37 off 18 balls. Tanuja Kanwer applied the brakes in the 18th over, conceding just eight, but Gardner’s return for the 19th saw Delhi push hard again. Rana struck a six and two fours, while Prasad added a crisp straight drive, leaving just eight required from the final over.
It was a game Gujarat seemed certain to lose — until Devine stepped forward.
Despite a reduced boundary-riding field due to a slow over-rate penalty, Devine relied on precision rather than protection. She forced the batters to chase awkward lines, mixing pace and length with clarity of intent. A close run-out scare, a withdrawn delivery to warn Rana, and a wide-ball review only added to the tension, but Devine remained unfazed.
With five needed off three balls, Gujarat still held the edge. Devine struck the decisive blow when Rana advanced down the track to a slower delivery, only to pick out Georgia Wareham at deep midwicket. The partnership was broken, and with it, Delhi’s momentum.
The sense of familiarity was unmistakable. Just weeks earlier in Navi Mumbai, Devine had defended six runs in the final over against the same opponents, dismissing both set batters then as well.
With four required from the last ball, Prasad — who had played a superb hand — was back on strike. Devine packed the off-side boundary, bowled a well-disguised slower delivery on middle and leg, and gave the batter no room. Prasad attempted to muscle it downtown but dragged the shot straight to long-on.
Game over.
For the second time in the season, Devine defended a single-digit total in the final over, completing Gujarat Giants’ first-ever league double over Delhi Capitals and keeping their playoff hopes alive.
What stood out was not just Devine’s skill, but her calm under pressure. After being hit hard earlier, she took responsibility for the decisive over, trusting her plans and executing them with authority.
“I felt like I owed it to Ash,” Devine said after the three-run victory. “We’d let the game drift after one tough over. Ash was brave to bowl the penultimate over into the shorter boundary, and my focus was just to stay calm and keep things simple — like we did last time against them.”
Lightning may not strike twice. But when Sophie Devine has the ball in hand at the death, history suggests otherwise.
