Delhi Capitals get their 1st win of the season against UPW as Shafali and Lizelle Lee steer them through thriller.
Shafali Verma, Lizelle Lee hand Delhi Capitals first win in thriller.
When the Delhi Capitals (DC) were down to 6 off 6 and Marizanne Kapp was unable to put bat to ball to make it 6 off 5, there was a feeling of deja vu. They had lost three nights prior despite needing seven out of six. To calm the tensions on Wednesday, Kapp creamed the subsequent ball through cover.
However, Ecclestone added two more dots after that, leaving DC with just one off the last ball. After being dismissed in the final over against Gujarat Giants (GG), Laura Wolvaardt sealed DC’s first WPL 2026 victory by crunching the cover drive on the last ball, giving UP Warriorz (UPW) their third straight loss.
After Lizelle Lee and Shafali Verma set base with a 94-run partnership, it shouldn’t have been this difficult for DC. After Lee smashed eight fours and three sixes for her second consecutive half-century, Jemimah Rodrigues gave the pursuit a boost with a 14-ball 21. This came after UPW was reduced to 154 for 8 due to their batting collapse. Against her former side, Lanning produced her maiden fifty of the year, but the middle order was unable to make much of an impact as Kapp and Shafali each claimed two wickets.
UPW appears to have a potent batting lineup. However, they underperformed for the third consecutive game. When Lanning pushed Nandani Sharma’s short ball straight into Henry’s clutches at deep square leg, it all started. The second ball that Shweta Sehrawat faced was then blasted just past Nandani’s head. However, Shafali Verma’s 17th over only produced three runs before UPW retired Deol.
UPW lost 6 for 20 in 4.2 overs and finished below par because they were unable to get the final kick. After losing 4 for 11 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru and three wickets for one run against GG, UPW’s middle-order problems finally caught up with them.
Lee and Shafali can both start in fifth gear. And they succeeded on that particular day, smashing six fours in the opening five overs before Lee tore into the bowling of Tryon, her former teammate from South Africa. She finished the powerplay with a 16-run over after hitting her for two fours and a six. After welcoming Asha Sobhana’s legspin with a boundary, Shafali went back-to-back against Sophie Ecclestone in the following over.
With DC 87 for 0 at the ten-over stage, Lee reached her second consecutive fifty in thirty balls. When Shafali attempted to reverse sweep Asha, she fell. From short third, Deepti sprinted to her left to make a diving catch. After 19 balls, Lee holed out to long-on off Deepti, opening the door for UPW. UPW’s hopes were bolstered by a 14-ball boundaryless stretch at the end, which included Rodrigues’ wicket, but it was not to be.