Pune, Nov 4 (IANS) Right-handed batter Jemimah Rodrigues struck her first half-century since returning from a hamstring injury, as Mumbai beat Delhi by seven wickets in the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy Elite league stage match on Wednesday.

Chasing 152 after Delhi were restricted to 151/7, Mumbai got home comfortably with eight balls to spare. Mumbai lost opener Humairaa Kaazi for four, but Jemimah and Sanika Chalke then put on 124 runs for the second wicket to take the game away from Delhi.

Jemimah hit 58 runs off 41 balls, laced with seven fours and a six, at a strike rate of 141. She returned to action this week after recovering from the injury, and Wednesday’s half-century suggested she has lost little of her touch.

In her comeback game on November 2, Jemimah made an unbeaten 26 off 19 balls, with three boundaries, as Mumbai beat Uttar Pradesh by 29 runs in a nine-overs-a-side contest. The much-needed game time will give Jemimah a timely lift as she looks to press her case for a place in India’s squad for the upcoming all-format tour of South Africa, set to happen in December.

Sanika, picked up by Mumbai Indians (MI) ahead of the upcoming Women’s Premier League (WPL) season, remained unbeaten on 85 off 57 balls, hitting eight fours and two sixes at a strike rate of 149. Though Jemimah fell to Bharti Rawal before the game finished, Sanika stayed till the end to complete the chase.

For Delhi, all-rounder Nazma Khan, picked by Delhi Capitals for 2027 WPL, provided the main impetus. Batting at number five, she struck 43 off 27 balls at a strike rate of 159 to take her team past 150, though it proved well short on a good day for Mumbai’s batters.

Mumbai, in second spot with 16 points, will next take on Pondicherry in their final Elite Group D clash on November 6. On the same day, Delhi, the table toppers with 16 points, will meet Jharkhand, while Uttarakhand, which also have 16 points but are at third spot, will take on Uttar Pradesh.

--IANS

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