Delhi Capitals, led by skipper Jemimah Rodrigues in their bid to keep their campaign alive in the ongoing edition of the tournament, were up against the only unbeaten side in the 4th edition of the tournament, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, led by skipper Smriti Mandhana, the table toppers at the Kotambi Stadium, Vadodara on 24th January 2026 (Saturday).
Delhi Capitals made a couple of changes. Chenille Henry made her way back into the side, replacing Lucy Hamilton, and Minnu Mani replaced Deeya Yadav. For RCB, Arundhati Reddy made her way back to the side, replacing leg-spinner Prema Rawat in the side. Delhi Capitals skipper Jemimah Rodrigues won the toss and opted to bowl first. The RCB openers got their side off to a confident start, scoring at around 7 runs an over inside the powerplay.
The Challengers were well placed for a strong total with 65/2 at the halfway mark, despite the departure of their well-set skipper, Smriti Mandhana (38 off 34 balls). A horrible collapse followed as Royal Challengers Bengaluru lost their last 8 wickets for just 44 runs, as a result, getting bundled out for 109 runs in their quota of 20 overs. Radha Yadav (18 off 17 balls) and Georgia Voll (11 off 14 balls) were the only other batters to enter the double digits with the bat for RCB. The total included 7 extras.
Nandani Sharma (4-0-26-3), Chenille Henry (4-0-22-2), Shree Charani (4-0-14-1), Minnu Mani (3-0-18-2) and Marizanne Kapp (4-0-17-2) were the top performers with the ball for the Delhi Capitals.
Chasing a target of 110, the Delhi top-order delivered with a calculated performance on a tricky wicket, to ensure the Capitals secure their 2nd consecutive victory, infusing momentum into their campaign this season, sealing the run chase with 7 wickets in hand and 26 balls to spare. The commanding win from the Jemimah Rodrigues-led side also ended RCB’s 5-match unbeaten streak in the ongoing 4th edition of the tournament.
Laura Wolvaardt 42* (38 balls), skipper Jemimah Rodrigues (24 off 26 balls), Shafali Verma (16 off 8 balls), and Marizanne Kapp (19* off 15 balls) chipped in with vital contributions with the bat for the Capitals. Sayali Satghare (3-0-18-2) and Radha Yadav (2-0-10-1) were the only wicket-takers with the ball for RCB. The Smriti Mandhana-led side had a poor day in the field, with a few dropped catches. The win lifted the Delhi Capitals to the 2nd spot in the points table.
Top Performers: Delhi Capitals vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Smriti Mandhana
Royal Challengers Bengaluru skipper, Smriti Mandhana, provided her side with a promising start alongside Grace Harris, after being inserted to bat first by the Capitals skipper Jemimah Rodrigues. The duo stitched a crucial 36-run opening partnership, which was followed by another vital 26-run partnership for the 2nd wicket alongside Georgia Voll. Smriti Mandhana’s (38 off 34 balls) departure in the 10th over of the innings triggered a collapse as they were eventually bundled out for 109 in their quota of overs, losing their last 8 wickets for just 44 runs. Smriti Mandhana’s knock included 6 boundaries and a maximum.
Sayali Satghare
A wild-card entry for the 25-year-old bowling all-rounder Sayali Satghare, since playing her 1st game against Delhi Capitals on 17th January at the DY Patil Stadium, she hasn’t put a foot wrong. She has continued to impress with her new-ball spells alongside Lauren Bell in the powerplay. She has been a crucial part of RCB’s powerplay dominance with the ball this season. In the 2nd round against the Jemimah Rodrigues-led side this season, coming at the Kotambi Stadium, Vadodara, she delivered yet again. Defending a low total of 110, she accounted for the big scalps of both the dangerous openers, Shafali Verma (16 off 8 balls) and the wicket-keeper batter Lizelle Lee (6 off 8 balls), inside the powerplay. RCB eventually suffered their first defeat (by 7 wickets) in the ongoing 4th season of the tournament.
Marizanne Kapp
The experienced veteran South African all-rounder Marizanne Kapp has been a powerplay specialist for Delhi Capitals in the WPL over the years. Despite being a bit unlucky and bowling a no-ball to the RCB skipper, Smriti Mandhana, she kept things tight. She got the crucial scalp of the dangerous Grace Harris (9 off 13 balls) in the final over of the powerplay to provide the first breakthrough for her side. Marizanne Kapp returned with impressive match figures of 4-0-17-2, in her spell, dismissing Georgia Voll (11 off 14 balls) in the 12th over of the innings. Besides her exploits with the ball, she also guided Delhi Capitals over the line with an unbeaten 19* (15 balls) as the Jemimah Rodrigues-led side sealed the game by 7 wickets and 26 balls to spare.
Nandni Sharma
The promising 24-year-old uncapped pacer from Chandigarh, Nandni Sharma, is proving to be one of the biggest finds of the ongoing 4th edition of the WPL. She has reclaimed the purple cap, delivering another impressive spell against the table toppers, RCB. She delivered a decisive blow, accounting for the scalps of Arundhati Reddy, Sayali Satghare, and Shreyanka Patil, cleaning up the RCB’s tail towards the backend of the innings. She returned with match figures of 4-0-26-3 in her spell, restricting RCB to just 109. With that spell, she has reclaimed her purple cap, topping the list with 13 wickets at an average of 14.15 and an economy of 8.36, including her maiden five-wicket haul, which also had a hat-trick, in that spell, in the six innings and six matches with the ball for her side in the tournament so far.
Minnu Mani
The 26-year-old off-spin bowling all-rounder, Minnu Mani, was dropped in the previous game, replaced by a 16-year-old debutant, Deeya Yadav. She made her way back into the side against RCB. Delhi Capitals skipper Jemimah Rodrigues introduced her in the 10th over of the innings, immediately after the time-out, as a favourable match-up of an off-spinner against the RCB skipper Smriti Mandhana. The move worked immediately as she successfully dismissed Smriti Mandhana (38 off 34 balls) on the 2nd ball of her spell to provide the massive 2nd breakthrough for her side. She went on to land another decisive blow as she dismissed an ominous wicket-keeper batter, Richa Ghosh (5 off 9 balls) in the 14th over of the innings, providing a crucial 5th breakthrough for the Delhi Capitals. She eventually returned with an impressive spell of 3-0-18-2 with the ball.
A commanding 7-wicket win for Delhi Capitals ensured they moved to the 2nd spot in the points table with 6 points from 6 games, including 3 victories and 3 defeats in their campaign so far, registering their 2nd consecutive win with a confidence-boosting performance heading towards the business end of the league stages of the tournament.
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