In a commanding display at Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara, Delhi Capitals crushed Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) by 7 wickets on January 24, 2026, snapping RCB’s 5-match winning streak in Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 Match 15.
The 26-year-old off-spin all-rounder Minnu Mani stole the spotlight in the post-match press conference, sharing insights into the bowling strategy that triggered RCB’s collapse from 65/2 to 109 all out, while reflecting on her own resurgence after being dropped. Her 2/18 spell, including the prized wickets of Smriti Mandhana (38 off 34) and Richa Ghosh (5 off 9), proved pivotal as DC chased down 110 with 26 balls and 7 wickets to spare, vaulting them to 2nd on the points table with 6 points from 6 games.
Minnu stepped up after replacing the 16-year-old debutant from the previous game, Deeya Yadav, entering the attack in the 10th over post-timeout as skipper Jemimah Rodrigues targeted Mandhana with off-spin. The ploy worked instantly, Minnu struck on her second ball, sparking RCB’s horror show where they lost 8 wickets for 44 runs. She later dismissed Ghosh, capping a clinical effort backed by Nandni Sharma’s 3/26 (reclaiming the Purple Cap with 13 wickets), Chenille Henry’s 2/22, and Marizanne Kapp’s 2/17. In chase, Laura Wolvaardt’s unbeaten 42 guided DC home, with Kapp (19*) earning Player of the Match.
At the presser, Minnu dissected the bowling masterclass, crediting a simple yet effective plan tailored to Vadodara’s low-bounce deck. “Yeah, as a bowling unit, we had just like one plan. Like we have seen the matches that have happened here, and the five meters of the back of length balls are pretty difficult for the batters to play on this wicket because it is keeping low. So, that was our plan to hit that length consistently and always keep the stumps in play as much as possible.”
Her return to form felt personal after a lean patch. Dropped last game, Minnu had grinded in nets, finally delivering when it mattered against the table-toppers. “Yeah, like in previous matches, I wasn’t bowling well in terms of like the execution wasn’t coming properly. So, I just kept working on that, and thankfully, today in the crucial match it came properly. So, I’m very happy in terms of being able to contribute to the team.”
Comparing captains Jemimah Rodrigues and departed stalwart Meg Lanning, who led DC to three straight finals as runners-up before joining UP Warriorz, Minnu praised the learning curve. “Yeah, actually, both of them have a different way of doing captaincy, obviously. Like Jemi is still learning, but she’s doing pretty well in terms of the bowling changes and field placements, as per the requirements of the bowlers. And Meg Lanning, I think she is much more experienced than Jemi. But I think Jemimah Rodrigues is still doing her best.”
Minnu also touched on the pitch’s bowler-friendly traits amid T20’s all-rounder demands and DC management’s unwavering faith. “All of them were really backing and supporting me really well for every match that I played and in every practice session that I attended. So, today, also like they were telling me, like you were working for it for so many days, and finally you got it right. So, they are also as happy as I am.” This win injects momentum into DC’s campaign as we are approaching the twilight of the league stages of the ongoing 4th edition of the Tata WPL, as the race for the remaining two slots heats up.
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