Vadodara, Feb 1 (IANS) Laura Wolvaardt top-scored with 47 while Jemimah Rodrigues hit an unbeaten 34 as Delhi Capitals beat UP Warriorz by five wickets to secure a playoffs berth in the 2026 Women’s Premier League (WPL) at the BCA Stadium in Kotambi on Sunday.
Veteran pace bowling all-rounder Marizanne Kapp claimed three wickets as DC produced a disciplined bowling display to restrict UPW to 122/8. UPW’s innings never found momentum, with Shikha Pandey’s late cameo of 23 off 13 balls the only spark in an otherwise lacklustre effort.
Simran Shaikh threatened to produce finishing fireworks with a brisk 22 before being dismissed, as DC picked wickets at regular intervals. DC were relentless, with Kapp, Chinelle Henry and Sree Charani sharing seven wickets to choke the scoring rate and deny UPW any breathing space, as they couldn’t stitch together meaningful stands, with their stop-start batting exposing them yet again in the competition.
DC’s chase of 123 was far from straightforward, wobbling late when they needed 22 runs off as many balls with wickets tumbling. But Jemimah held her nerve to guide her side home with an unbeaten 34 off 18 deliveries to seal a tense game in DC’s favour. Laura, meanwhile, steadied DC’s innings initially in a knock laced with seven boundaries.
UPW, who managed only 122/8 in their innings, were undone by their lack of runs and sloppy catching. Despite flashes of resistance, they never had enough on the board to seriously challenge DC. DC will now face Gujarat Giants in the Eliminator, while UP Warriorz and defending champions Mumbai Indians bow out of the competition.
Chinelle Henry struck with the very first ball of the innings by trapping UP Warriorz skipper Meg Lanning lbw for a duck. Deepti Sharma and Charli Knott hit six boundaries between themselves, before an accurate Marizanne struck in her second over by removing Charli Knott with a short ball that cramped her for room and was caught behind.
Marizanne ended the power-play by foxing Deepti with a slower ball and have her caught at cover. UPW’s misery didn’t end there as Harleen Deol struggled to get going, and was trapped lbw by Charani, while Deandra Dottin was also dismissed via lbw by Marizanne on review.
Simran Shaikh tried to counterattack, cutting Kapp for four and later pulling Minnu Mani for back-to-back boundaries. But UPW’s slide continued when Minnu Mani’s yorker surprised Shipra Giri and was caught by cover, while Simran’s resistance ended when Chinelle had her caught at mid-off.
Asha Sobhana briefly lifted spirits with a slog-sweep six off Sneh Rana, but Charani removed her by having her hole out to long-on. Shikha Pandey provided late fireworks, cutting Chinelle for four and pulling and thumping Nandni Sharma for two boundaries to make 23 not out off 13 balls, as DC ensured they held the upper hand at the halfway stage.
DC’s chase began on a wobbly note as Lizelle Lee miscued a slower delivery to mid-off against Deandra Dottin. Laura found her rhythm quickly, driving and pulling with authority. She was dropped twice – by Sophie Ecclestone and Asha Sobhana, and made the most of her reprieves.
Shafali too began to open up after overturning an lbw decision on review, cutting and sweeping to keep the runs flowing. By the ninth over, the partnership had blossomed, with Laura striking four elegant boundaries off Kranti Gaud in the ninth over to push DC forward.
The second-wicket stand of 73 runs ended when Deepti Sharma lured Laura into a lofted drive and was brilliantly caught by long-on. Shafali, who had struggled for fluency, fell soon after for 29, cutting Shikha Pandey straight to cover. From there, nervous faces increased in DC camp – Marizanne Kapp lofted Sophie to mid-off for a duck while Chinelle Henry was caught and bowled by Deepti.
At 100/5, the chase looked shaky, but Jemimah held her nerve – sweeping Deepti for four to calm nerves, then lofted Asha Sobhana over extra cover. With Niki Prasad offering support, Jemimah struck consecutive boundaries off Deepti in the 19th over to level the scores, before sealing victory with a cover driven four to guide DC to the playoffs.
Brief Scores: UP Warriorz 122/8 in 20 overs (Deepti Sharma 24, Simran Shaikh 22; Marizanne Kapp 3-30, Sree Charani 2-22) lost to Delhi Capitals 126/5 in 18.4 overs (Laura Wolvaardt 47, Jemimah Rodrigues 34 not out; Deepti Sharma 2-27, Shikha Pandey 1-17) by five wickets
–IANS
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