Fluent fifties by Shafali Verma and Meg Lanning and veteran pacer Marizanne Kapp's incisive new-ball spell fashioned Delhi Capitals' smooth nine-wicket victory over UP Warriorz in their Women's Premier League match here on Monday.

Shafali (64 not out, 43 balls, 6x4, 4x6) and the experienced Lanning (51, 43 balls, 6x4) thrashed the Warriorz bowlers in a powerful display of strokeplay as they overhauled the target of 120 in just 14.3 overs.

But it was Kapp who laid the foundation of that win with a marvellous opening burst of 4-1-5-3 that saw the Warriorz getting restricted to 119/9 in 20 overs.

Shafali, who was dropped on 48 off Deepti Sharma by Kiran Navgire, and captain Lanning were severe on the Warriorz bowlers from the word go. The India opener blasted left-arm spinner Gouhar Sultana over long-on for a six and then tore into pacer Tahlia McGrath.

Shafali first hammered the Aussie for a four through mid-wicket and then swatted the ball over the bowler's head for a six.

She soon reached her fifty, off just 36 balls, with a massive six off off-spinner Deepti that sailed over mid-wicket.

Lanning, who mostly resorted to drives and sweeps, reached her own fifty in 42 balls as she darted between the wickets for a double off Sophie Ecclestone.

However, Lanning perished with just one run needed to win as her uppish shot was gobbled up by Vrinda Dinesh at backward square leg.

Earlier, Kapp vindicated Capitals skipper Lanning's decision to bowl first with stupendous figures as she bowled her full quota in a single burst.

She started her destruction job getting rid of Vrinda, caught at deep third man. McGrath was the next to depart as Kapp disturbed her stumps with a growler. The ball pitched on middle and off stump line and then deviated just enough to smash onto the wickets.

Kapp inflicted an even bigger blow in her third over when she gave marching orders to Warriorz's captain Alyssa Healy. Healy, who made 13 off 15 balls, tried to force the pace, but her shot neither had timing nor direction as Shafali completed a fine running catch over her shoulder near the circle. The Warriorz scored only 21/3 in their Powerplay and a late charge from Shweat Sherawat (45 off 43 balls) was not enough.

If Kapp was the tormentor in the initial overs, it was left-arm orthodox spinner Radha Yadav (4/20) who returned with a bagful of wickets in the later stages.

With inputs from PTI