In a candid post-match press conference following Delhi Capitals’ thrilling 7-wicket victory over UP Warriorz in Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 Match 7 at DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai, UP Warriorz mentor Lisa Sthalekar dissected the game’s turning points.
The Capitals chased down 155 on the final ball, powered by Lizelle Lee’s 67 (44) and Shafali Verma’s all-round fireworks (36 off 32 & 2/16), securing their first win. Sthalekar, reflecting on skipper Meg Lanning’s gritty 54 (38) and the controversial retire out of Harleen Deol (47 off 36), emphasized T20’s evolution while owning tactical misfires that saw Warriorz slump to 154/8.
Sthalekar dove straight into the game’s pivotal bowling duel, praising Shafali Verma’s mastery. “I didn’t chat to the batters, I let Abhishek (Nayar) and Hitshu Bachani (Batting Coach) to go out and speak to them. But from the outside, like you guys, I was watching her (Shafali Verma) change the pace, really slow, really quick, wide, Yorker, she had all of the variations and was executing really well.”
Verma’s spell, including wickets of Shweta Sehrawat and Deepti Sharma, choked the death overs, where Warriorz lost 5/20, a phase Sthalekar bluntly called a killer: “I think we were probably about two-thirds right from a batting point of view. It’s the last bit. I mean, you lose at the back end, I don’t think you’re going to win many games of cricket, to be fair.”
The elephant in the room was the rare call to retire out Harleen Deol with three overs left, just shy of her half-century after an 85-run stand with Lanning. Only the second such instance in WPL history, it backfired as substitute Chloe Tryon managed just 1 (3 balls). Sthalekar defended the innovation, crediting head coach Abhishek Nayar’s instincts.
“Abhishek turns to me, and he goes, I think it’s time we need to potentially bring Harleen (Deol) off. This isn’t a normal thing in the women’s game. So, then it was decided.” She framed it as T20’s forward march, “Absolutely, I think the game keeps evolving, and if we keep getting stuck in the past, then someone’s going to catch us up. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t. That’s why we love this game of cricket. It keeps us on our toes.”
Looking ahead, Sthalekar backed opener Kiran Navgire despite her three-ball duck, highlighting her X-factor potential alongside Lanning. She addressed the packed schedule’s double-headers, “Yeah, I think with five teams, it makes it hard, everyone has to deal with it”, and Harleen’s fluid No. 4 role in franchise cricket’s batting flux.
With Meg Lanning’s UP Warriorz yet to register their first points. Sthalekar’s unflinching take signals a side unafraid to experiment, even if the results sting.
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