The final match of the Navi Mumbai leg of WPL 2026 was shaped decisively by the first two overs. Under lights at the DY Patil Stadium, Royal Challengers Bengaluru struck early and hard, leaving Delhi Capitals scrambling for stability long before they could think of building an innings.
Bowling with extra bounce and a full, attacking length, Lauren Bell removed both the South Africans, Lizelle Lee and Laura Wolvaardt, in the opening over to jolt DC into crisis. When Sayali Satghare followed up with further strikes, the Capitals found themselves reeling at 10 for 4, the lowest score at the fall of the fourth wicket in WPL history. Bell’s spell stood out not just for the wickets, but for the quality of her deliveries, including a near-unplayable ball to dismiss Wolvaardt. Bell and Satghare took three wickets each.
At that stage, Delhi’s priority shifted from acceleration to survival. Shafali Verma, however, chose a different route. Taking on the short ball and refusing to retreat into her shell, she mounted a counterattack that altered the tempo of the innings. Her intent forced RCB to adjust their fields and briefly eased the pressure, with Niki Prasad providing calm support from the other end.
Despite wickets continuing to fall, Shafali carried the innings deep enough to push DC into a competitive zone. Once she was dismissed by Bell for a 41-ball 62, Delhi relied on late impetus from debutant Lucy Hamilton, whose clean striking helped lift the total to 166 all out. Given where they had been early on, it was a spirited recovery, though one still felt that was slightly under-par on a surface expected to favour the chase.
RCB’s response was measured and authoritative. After Grace Harris fell early, Smriti Mandhana took complete control of the chase. She played with clarity from the outset, picking length early and threading the gaps with ease, ensuring the asking rate never became a concern.
Georgia Voll endured a slow start but resisted the urge to manufacture shots, choosing instead to bat time and trust the conditions. As dew settled in, timing became easier, and the partnership blossomed into a match-defining one. Mandhana’s strokeplay combined elegance with intent, and by the time she was dismissed for 96 off 61 to a sharp catch from Hamilton, with the finish line in sight, the contest was effectively over.
Voll (54 not out off 42) and Richa Ghosh completed the chase in the 19th over, sealing a comprehensive eight-wicket win and ensuring RCB signed off the Navi Mumbai leg with momentum, confidence and undefeated.
For DC, the night offered both warning signs and positives, the power play collapse was damaging, but the middle and lower-order fight showed resilience. Hereon, DC captain Jemimah Rodrigues outlined their motto for the Vadodara leg in her post-match interview to the broadcasters. “I think we have nothing to lose now. We just want to go all out and do whatever it takes to help us win.”
For RCB, it was a performance built on early control, composure in the chase, and a growing sense of cohesion, without needing anything more than that to be said.
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