In the 13th match of Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026, Delhi Capitals pulled off a clinical seven wicket victory over defending champions Mumbai Indians on January 20 at the Kotambi Stadium. Opting to field after winning the toss, Delhi’s bowlers restricted Mumbai to 154/7 in their 20 overs, before chasing it down with ease in just 19 overs. It was the debuts of three young guns – Deeya Yadav for Delhi, and Vaishnavi Sharma and Rahila Firdous for Mumbai, that injected fresh excitement into the game.
16-year-old Haryana batter, Deeya Yadav, announced herself in 2023 with a stunning unbeaten 213 off 125 balls for Haryana against Tripura in an Under-15 one-day championship, putting her on the scouting radar. She’s impressed in subsequent tournaments for Haryana and North Zone, combining clean ball striking with an evolving power hitting game that has wowed WPL coaches. Recently part of Haryana’s Under-23 title winning squad, she’s a strong candidate for India’s Under-19 World Cup title defense in 2027 though she didn’t get a chance to bat on her WPL debut, she can prove to be a X-factor in the upcoming games.
Vaishnavi Sharma debuted for Mumbai Indians as replacement for the injured G Kamalini, facing Delhi Capitals. The 20-year-old spinner from Gwalior grabbed the spotlight during the ICC Women’s Under-19 T20 World Cup 2025, spearheading India’s attack with 17 wickets in just six games at an average of 4.35, including record 5 for 5 and a hat-trick against Malaysia Under-19. A left-hand batter and slow left-arm orthodox bowler, she built her game around accuracy, subtle variations in flight, and attacking lines that check run rates. Vaishnavi Sharma recently debuted for India in the WT20I series against Sri Lanka, claiming five wickets overall at an economy of 6.26, with her best figures of 2/24. On her WPL debut, she gave the breakthrough by taking the first wicket, bowling four overs for just 20 runs and dismissing Delhi’s opener Shafali Verma.
Rahila Firdous, the 27-year-old right-hand batter and wicketkeeper didn’t get a chance to bat, but her T20 numbers, 106 runs in 12 innings at an average of 26.50, tell a story of reliability, adaptability, and awareness as an experienced domestic keeper who steadies the lower order and reads the game astutely. She was very efficient behind the stumps, executing a stumping of Lizelle Lee, proving her value in the process over noise despite Mumbai’s defeat.
This thriller set the tone for WPL 2026: youth colliding with experience. Vaishnavi’s wickets, Rahila’s efficiency, and Deeya’s looming potential signal a new wave. As Delhi Capitals celebrated, Mumbai Indians will reflect back to this game, but with these debutants, both sides look primed for the long haul.
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