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Bengaluru, Feb 23: Forceful fifties by Harmanpreet Kaur and Yastika Bhatia helped defending champions Mumbai Indians ace a thrilling final-ball chase to beat Delhi Capitals by four wickets in the Women's Premier League (WPL 2024) opener here on Friday.

Skipper Harmanpreet made 55 (34b, 7x4, 1x6) as Mumbai scaled down 172 off the last ball and she was helped a great deal by Yastika, who made 57 off 45 balls (8x4, 2x6).

The 19-year-old Alice Capsey's power-packed 75 (53b, 8x4, 3x6) was a perfect vindication of her future star as she guided Delhi Capitals to 171 for five, setting a tall barrier in front of Mumbai.

But the Mumbai outfit stayed in the match through fine efforts by Yastika and captain Harmanpreet Kaur. Despite their concerted efforts, Mumbai still needed 12 runs off the last over bowled by off-spinner Capsey, who was later adjudged player of the match.

Capsey ousted Harmanpreet and Pooja Vastrakar in the first and fifth balls of the 20th over as Mumbai were left to make five runs off the last ball.

But Sajana Sajeevan slammed the only ball she faced over the long-on fence to spark wild celebrations in the Mumbai camp.

But Mumbai began their target hunting on a disastrous note, losing Hayley Matthews in the second ball of the first over itself -- a loose drive outside off-stump off pacer Marizanne Kapp ended in the hands of stumper Taniya Bhatia.

But Mumbai kept moving forward through two successive fifty stands involving Yastika, whose harsh treatment of veteran pacer Shikha Pandey (4, 4, 6) made for grand viewing.

The aggressive left-hander first added an even fifty (35 balls) for the second wicket with Nat Sciver-Brunt (19) and followed it up with a 56-run alliance with Harmanpreet in 7.1 overs for the third wicket.

Yastika reached her fifty in 35 balls with a six over long-on off left-arm spinner Radha Yadav but she did not last long as a pull off pacer Arundhati Reddy was snaffled by Kapp at deep mid-wicket.

However, Harmanpreet, who was dropped on five by Minnu Mani at mid-wicket off Arundhati, added 44 runs for the fourth wicket in 28 balls as Mumbai stayed afloat.

Earlier, Capsey joined her skipper Meg Lanning (31, 25b, 3x4, 1x6) after opener Shafali Verma was castled early by veteran pacer Shabnim Ismail.

Capsey and Lanning mustered 64 runs in just over eight overs after making a steady start. Delhi were 26 for 1 after the six Power Play overs.

But Capsey started the blitz, bunting experienced English pacer Nat Sciver-Brunt for two successive pulled fours through mid-wicket.

Lanning hammered the first six of the match and tournament when she lofted leg-spinner S Keerthana over long-on. But Brunt broke the burgeoning alliance when she ousted Lanning.

But Capsey remained relentless in the company of her vice-captain Jemimah Rodrigues (42, 24, 5x4, 2x6), and together they added 73 runs for an entertaining third wicket partnership in 7.3 overs.

She was particularly ruthless against leg-spinner and countrymate Amelia Kerr, whom she slammed for a couple of fours.

However, Kerr had the last laugh when she trapped Capsey leg before but the Capitals were already in a position of strength. However, it was not just enough on the night.

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Ranchi (PTI): A 25-year-old man, who works as a butcher, allegedly strangled to death his live-in partner and chopped her body into 40 to 50 pieces in a forested area in Jharkhand’s Khunti district, police said on Wednesday.

The accused, identified as Naresh Bhengra, was arrested.

The matter came to light after around a fortnight after the killing when a stray dog was found with human body parts near Jordag village in Jariagarh police station on November 24.

Bhengra was in a live-in relationship with the deceased, a 24-year-old woman also from Khunti district, in Tamil Nadu for the past couple of years. Sometime back, he returned to Jharkhand, got married to another woman without telling his partner anything and went back to the southern state without his wife to join her.

"The brutal incident occurred on November 8 when they reached Khunti as the accused who had married another woman did not wish to take her home. Instead, he took her to a forest near his house at Jordag village in Jariagarh police station and chopped the body into pieces. The man has been arrested," Khunti Superintendent of Police Aman Kumar told PTI.

Inspector Ashok Singh who investigated the case said the man worked in a butcher shop in Tamil Nadu and was expert in slicing chicken.

“He admitted chopping the body parts of the woman into 40 to 50 pieces before leaving those in the forest for wild animals to feast on. The police recovered several parts on November 24 after a dog in the area was seen with a hand," Singh told PTI.

Singh said that the woman, who was unaware of his marriage, pressured him to return to Khunti. After reaching Ranchi, they boarded a train on November 24 and headed to the man's village.

"Under a plan, the man took her to Khunti in an autorickshaw near his home and asked her to wait. He returned with sharp weapons and strangulated her with her dupatta after raping her. He then cut the body into 40 to 50 pieces and left for his home to live with his wife," Singh said.

The woman, however, had informed her mother that she had boarded a train and would be living with her partner, the police officer said.

Following the recovery of body parts, a bag was also found in the forest with the murdered woman's belongings including her Aadhaar card. The mother of the woman was called at the spot and she identified her daughter's belongings.

"The mother suspected the man behind the crime who after being nabbed by the police admitted to chopping the woman into pieces," the official added.

The incident has sent shockwaves among people in the region, with the Shraddha Walker murder case of 2022 still fresh in their memory.

Walker was killed by her live-in partner who chopped her body into pieces before dumping them in the jungle in South Delhi’s Mehrauli.

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