Devine’s Final-Over Brilliance Seals Thrilling Win for Giants

Ashleigh Gardner could barely hide her grin – and her relief – after Gujarat Giants somehow defended what looked like a gettable equation against Delhi Capitals in the Women’s Premier League.

GG had piled up a massive 209, powered by a blistering all-round show from Sophie Devine, and with four overs left, they looked in control. DC still needed 60, but they had seven wickets in hand and Laura Wolvaardt well set on 36, timing the ball sweetly and picking gaps with ease.

When a sure chase turned into a heist

From the 17th over, the game flipped. DC’s chase, which had been cruising on the back of Wolvaardt’s composure, suddenly ran into a wall of disciplined death bowling and mounting pressure. Boundaries dried up, the crowd grew restless, and yet DC somehow clawed their way to the brink: just 7 needed off 6.

That’s when Devine produced a death-overs spell that will be replayed for years. Mixing yorkers with hard-length cutters, she removed two set batters in the final over, squeezing DC into mistakes and turning what looked like a routine finish into a four-run defeat.

"To be able to defend seven in the last over, we absolutely stole that game." — Ashleigh Gardner

For Indian fans used to Dhoni-style last-over chases, this was the flip side: a bowling heist that left Capitals shell-shocked and Giants ecstatic. Devine’s 95 with the bat and clutch final over with the ball was pure WPL theatre – the kind of performance that turns good players into tournament legends.

As the league heats up, this game will serve as a reminder: in T20, no equation is truly safe till the last ball is bowled – and no target is guaranteed while Sophie Devine is still in the contest.