Dominant chase as DC outclass Gujarat Giants by 26 balls, set up title clash with Mandhana-led RCB

Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!

Delhi Capitals marched into their fourth consecutive Women’s Premier League final with a commanding victory over Gujarat Giants in the Eliminator, producing a dominant all-round performance to chase down 168 with 26 balls to spare. Explosive starts from Lizelle Lee and Shafali Verma laid the foundation before Jemimah Rodrigues and Laura Wolvaardt ensured there were no late stumbles, sealing a comprehensive win in Vadodara and setting up a blockbuster final against Smriti Mandhana-led Royal Challengers Bengaluru on February 5.

Asked to bat first, Gujarat Giants struggled to find momentum despite having won all five of their previous matches this season while batting first. Their innings suffered an early blow when Sophie Devine fell in the second over, edging Chinelle Henry to Lizelle Lee, who pulled off a spectacular one-handed catch. Nandani Sharma then turned the game sharply in Delhi’s favour by removing Anushka Sharma and Ashleigh Gardner off consecutive deliveries in the sixth over, taking her tally to 16 wickets for the season, the most by an Indian in a single WPL edition. Minnu Mani followed up soon after, leaving Gujarat in deep trouble at 59 for 4.

Beth Mooney anchored the innings as wickets continued to fall at the other end, showing patience before gradually opening up. After a long boundary drought, she found her rhythm and was well supported by Georgia Wareham, who rotated the strike and later injected momentum with the first six of the match. Their partnership carried Gujarat past 100, but Chinelle Henry returned to dismiss Wareham in the 17th over, and Bharti Fulmali was bowled for a duck soon after. Mooney, however, batted through the innings and, along with Kashvee Gautam, struck six boundaries in the final three overs to lift Gujarat Giants to a competitive 168, finishing unbeaten on 62 off 51 balls.

Delhi Capitals’ chase began at a blistering pace as Lizelle Lee and Shafali Verma attacked from the outset, striking boundaries within the first three overs. Gujarat unsuccessfully reviewed a caught-behind appeal against Lee early on, and Shafali soon capitalised on a chaotic over from Devine that included byes, wides, and loose deliveries. A 21-run over off Renuka Singh, featuring five boundaries, propelled DC to 64 in just five overs, highlighting the stark contrast between the two teams’ powerplay performances. Lee continued to press the accelerator through the powerplay as DC raced to 75, before Georgia Wareham finally broke the opening stand by dismissing both batters in quick succession.

Any hopes of a Gujarat comeback were extinguished by the calm and authoritative partnership between Laura Wolvaardt and Jemimah Rodrigues. The duo combined elegant strokeplay with smart game awareness to bring the required rate down to under a run a ball. Rodrigues was particularly fluent, striking a massive six over mid-off off Ashleigh Gardner, while Wolvaardt showcased her class with a clean hit over long-on against Rajeshwari Gayakwad. By the time Rodrigues departed for a rapid 41 off 23 balls, the result was all but sealed.