Delhi Capitals, led by the new skipper Jemimah Rodrigues, were up against UP Warriorz, led by skipper Meg Lanning, on 14th January 2026 at the DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai. Both the sides were yet to register their first win of the ongoing 4th edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL).
The Capitals were up against a skipper, Meg Lanning, who led them to three successive finals in the first three seasons of the tournament. Delhi skipper Jemimah Rodrigues yet again won the toss and opted to bowl first in the ongoing season of the tournament. Kiran Navgire returned to the opening slot alongside skipper Meg Lanning. However, Kiran Navgire’s poor run continued in the 4th edition of the tournament as she departed for a three-ball duck in the first over of the innings.
Skipper Meg Lanning led from the front for the Warriorz by stitching crucial partnerships of 47 runs for the 2nd wicket alongside Phoebe Litchfield, followed by another vital 85-run partnership for the 3rd wicket with Harleen Deol. However, a shocking call from UP Warriorz’s head coach Abhishek Nayar retiring out Harleen Deol left her stunned. The move backfired as Chloe Tryon, replacing her, couldn’t provide the impetus to the innings. The UP Warriorz were eventually restricted to 154/8 in their quota of 20 overs.
Phoebe Litchfield 27 (20 balls) chipped in with a crucial contribution with the bat for her side. Shafali Verma and Marizanne Kapp picked up a couple of wickets each with the ball for the Delhi Capitals.
Chasing a target of 155, Delhi Capitals openers Lizelle Lee and Shafali Verma provided them with a massive 94-run opening stand. Asha Sobhana broke the standby sending Shafali Verma back to the pavilion in the 12th over of the innings. UP Warriorz bowlers kept things tight; as a result, the Capitals batters struggled to find fluency in terms of run-scoring and finding the gaps.
Lizelle Lee registered her 2nd half-century in the tournament, skipper Jemimah Rodrigues 21 (14 balls) chipped in with a handy cameo. The game went down to the wire with 6 runs needed off the final over. Laura Wolvaardt (25 off 24 balls) knocked off the runs this time around, to guide her side over the line on the final ball of the run chase with a boundary. Shafali Verma was awarded the Player of the Match for her all-round impact.
Top Performers: Delhi Capitals vs UP Warriorz
Meg Lanning
The former Delhi Capitals skipper, for the first three seasons, moved to the UP Warriorz and was eventually announced as the skipper of the UP franchise for the 4th season of the tournament. She was up against her former side, whom she led successfully to runners-up finish in the first three editions of the tournament. She had a relatively quiet start to the 4th season.
However, she returned to form with an impressive half-century (54 off 38 balls), opening the innings for her new side, after being inserted to bat first by the Capitals skipper Jemimah Rodrigues. After the early departure of Kiran Navgire, she anchored the innings alongside the likes of Phoebe Litchfield 27 (20 balls), stitching a crucial 47-run partnership for the 2nd wicket, followed by another brisk 85-run partnership for the 3rd wicket alongside Harleen Deol. She registered her maiden half-century for the UP Warriorz and the 10th in the WPL. Her knock included 9 boundaries and a maximum, scoring at a strike rate of 142.11.
Harleen Deol
Harleen Deol came out with intent at number 4. Assessing the conditions initially, she grew in confidence as the innings went on. She stitched a massive 85-run partnership for the 3rd wicket. However, just as she was all set to shift gears towards the backend of the innings, a surprising call from the UP Warriorz head coach from the dugout signaled Harleen Deol to retire out, leaving her stunned and heartbroken as she walked back to the pavilion 47 (36 balls), just three short of her well-deserved half-century with three overs to go in the innings.
Her knock included 7 boundaries. Chloe Tryon replaced her at the crease. The move eventually backfired as Tryon departed for 1 (3 balls) on her WPL debut in the 18th over of the innings. It was only the 2nd instance of a player being asked to retire out in the Tata WPL history. Gujarat’s WPL debutant Ayushi Soni, against the UP Warriorz, became the first player to be subbed out.
Shafali Verma
The 21-year-old dynamic opener, Shafali Verma, displayed her all-round potential, rolling her arm over for some handy off-spin. She returned with sensational match figures of 4-0-16-2 in her spell. She accounted for the big scalps of Shweta Sehrawat (11 off 12 balls) and Deepti Sharma in the final over of the innings to restrict the UP Warriorz to 154/8.
Her impact with the ball reflected in her confidence with the bat, as she stitched a patient innings of 36 (32 balls) alongside the wicket-keeper batter Lizelle Lee en route to their massive 94-run opening stand. Shafali Verma’s knock included 6 boundaries. The Delhi Capitals eventually registered their maiden win in the ongoing 4th edition of the tournament. Shafali Verma was awarded the Player of the Match as she delivered an all-round impact for her side.
Lizelle Lee
The former South African wicket-keeper batter Lizelle Lee, in her debut WPL season, registered her maiden WPL half-century, 86 (54 balls) against Gujarat Giants in a massive run chase of 210. She backed it up with another vital half-century, 67 (44 balls), her 2nd consecutive half-century in the tournament. Her innings included 8 boundaries and 3 maximums.
She opened the innings alongside Shafali Verma, chasing a target of 155 to register their first win of the season. She took the pressure off Shafali Verma, who had a quiet start to the season, by being the aggressor en route to their 94-run opening partnership. She was dismissed by Deepti Sharma in the 15th over of the run chase, providing the 2nd breakthrough for her side. The game went down to the wire as the experienced Delhi Capitals batters Laura Wolvaardt and Marizanne Kapp held their nerve to guide them over the line in a last-ball thriller.
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