WPL 2026, DC vs GG: Gujarat Giants beat the Jemimah Rodrigues-led Delhi Capitals by 3 runs

Sophie Devine seems to reserve her calmest moments for the most chaotic finishes. On January 11 in Navi Mumbai, she defended seven runs in the final over to drag Gujarat Giants to an improbable win over Delhi Capitals. Just weeks later, history repeated itself—this time in Vadodara—where Devine once again stood between Delhi and victory, guiding the Giants to a nail-biting three-run win at the Kotambi Stadium.

Devine’s bat remained silent on the night, but her composure with the ball spoke volumes. Tasked with defending nine runs in the final over, she held her nerve under immense pressure to keep Gujarat’s playoff hopes alive. Delhi weren’t short of resistance. Niki Prasad and Sneh Rana unleashed a ferocious counterattack in the death overs, briefly tilting the contest in the Capitals’ favour, before Devine’s experience turned the tide.

For Delhi Capitals, the defeat was a damaging setback. Arriving on the back of two straight victories, they slipped out of the top three and now find themselves with little margin for error. Their playoff fate hinges on a must-win encounter against the UP Warriorz—a reminder that in crunch moments, it is often composure, not power, that decides the game.

After being asked to bat first, the Giants put up a healthy total of 174 for nine on the board. Sophie Devine fell early to Marizanne Kapp after scoring 13, but Anushka Sharma and Beth Mooney steadied the innings for the Giants. The duo stitched together a crucial 54-run partnership for the second wicket, bringing the Giants back into the contest after the early setback.

Anushka was highly impressive with her fearless approach, scoring 39 off just 25 balls, hitting eight fours in the process. Shree Charani provided the Capitals with some respite by breaking the partnership, dismissing Anushka at a stage when she looked dangerous and could have accelerated the innings further.

Following her dismissal, the Giants lost a bit of their momentum, slipping to 139 for seven in the 18th over as wickets fell at regular intervals. Despite the collapse at the other end, Mooney remained composed and did not throw her wicket away,



reaching her fifty off 40 balls.

She continued to anchor the innings and finished with 58 off 46 deliveries before falling to Nandini Sharma, who has emerged as DC’s key bowler. On the day, it was Charani who starred with the ball, delivering her best WPL figures of 4-0-31-4. Towards the end, a cameo of 21 from Tanuja Kanwer injected some much-needed momentum into the Giants’ innings, helping them reach a defendable total.

The Capitals burst out of the blocks with a flying start, racing to 26 runs in the first two overs as Shafali Verma and Lizelle Lee looked in ominous touch. However, the early momentum was cut short when both openers perished inside the powerplay, leaving the Capitals under pressure despite reaching 51 runs in the first six overs.

Their most reliable pairing, Laura Wolvaardt and Jemimah Rodrigues, briefly steadied the innings with a useful 31-run partnership for the fourth wicket, restoring a sense of calm. That stability, however, proved short-lived as the Capitals suffered a dramatic collapse, losing four wickets for just 18 runs. Sophie Devine shattered the recovery by castling Jemimah for 16, before Ash Gardner dismissed Marizanne Kapp for a duck.

Chenille Henry, who holds the record for the joint-fastest fifty in the WPL, also fell in her attempt to accelerate, edging Rajeshwari Gayakwad while searching for quick runs. With 70 runs required from the final five overs, the task appeared daunting, even though Niki Prasad and Sneh Rana possessed the firepower to stage a late surge.

From there, Prasad and Rana refused to surrender. The 17th over saw Devine concede 23 runs under a fierce onslaught, followed by a brutal 19th over in which the pair took Gardner apart for 20. With nine runs needed off the final over, the spotlight fell firmly on Devine’s composure.

She conceded just five runs from the first five balls and dismissed Rana, who scored a brisk 29 off 15. Prasad then found Gardner in the deep, triggering jubilant celebrations for the Giants. Although Prasad top-scored with 47, Devine’s match-winning figures of 4-0-37-3 ensured the Capitals were denied the final word.