In the 13th game of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 at the Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara on Tuesday, Delhi Capitals defeated Mumbai Indians by seven wickets thanks to captain Jemimah Rodrigues’ undefeated 51 and outstanding opening batting from wicketkeeper-batter Lizelle Lee (46).

Rodrigues ensured that there was no late drama despite the pursuit for a modest 155 nearly faltering in the middle. With six balls remaining, she led Delhi to victory by concentrating on accurate placement and steady running between the wickets rather than using force. When it counted most, she showed leadership.

Earlier, Marizanne Kapp, who described the pitch as “not a nice wicket to bowl on,” guided Delhi in building a solid foundation with the ball.

At the beginning, Kapp was outstanding, bowling 16 dot balls. In her four overs, she conceded just eight runs and not one boundary. Sajana (9) and Hayley Matthews (12) were removed early in the Power-play as a result of her control and that of Nandani Sharma, leaving Mumbai battling at 23/2.

Nevertheless, the Mumbai team’s established qualities allowed them to establish consistency. With an undefeated 65 runs from 45 deliveries, Nat Sciver-Brunt demonstrated her loyalty once more. Harmanpreet Kaur, the captain, gave a strong effort with a score of 41.

With Sciver-Brunt scoring eight runs and Kaur scoring eighteen, the Mumbai side was in a dismal position at 47 for two wickets after nine overs at the start of the game. The two players kept improving their collaboration.

Sciver-Brunt scored her 11th half-century in this league with a 34-ball effort, and the two had combined 78 runs for Mumbai going into the third wicket stage, reaching 100 runs after 13.6 overs.

Her half-century equaled the record for the most half-centuries scored in the multi-day tournament with Meg Lanning. Thanks to 42 runs in the final 5 overs and a six off the last ball of the innings, Mumbai finished at 154 runs for 5 wickets (154/5).

At the end of the innings, Harmanpreet Kaur was 41 runs out after falling to Sree Charani. Sciver Brunt continued through the rest of the innings.

Sree Charani was a standout bowler for Delhi. She helped hold the Mumbai squad to a low total by taking three wickets for thirty-three runs, including two wickets in the eighteenth over. Kapp helped keep the Mumbai total below expectations with a 1-wicket for 8 run effort.

Shafali Verma and Lizzy Lee, Delhi’s opening duo, responded with a flawless start and swiftly put pressure back on MI.

Before losing to a difficult umpiring call, Lee seemed assured and fluid. Shafali was unable to convert her strong start into a high score. Tension was increased by Laura Wolvaardt’s unexpected resignation, and Capitals supporters may have been concerned by earlier errors.

Rodrigues took the initiative at that point. The captain produced a captain’s knock characterized by astute placing and unrelenting energy between the wickets, whether driven by focus or by Amanjot Kaur tossing the ball at her without cause.

Clearly leading the chase, she made sure Delhi kept control and calmly and confidently led her team to victory.

Vaishnavi Sharma, a WPL rookie who finished with numbers of 1 for 20, was a bright point for Mumbai. As the hunt progresses, they might need to monitor Nicola Carey’s prolonged departure from the field.

“I believed that the sprinting between the wickets was what defined our connection even before she entered. With the few people I trust, I believe I have had a few chats. All of them have advised me to take my time at first. I have a lot of experience playing on pitches like these. Thus, the goal is to get past the first ten balls. After the game, Rodrigues remarked, “I know that if I do that, batting becomes easy.”

Yes, I believe we were approximately twenty runs short at bat. We have been concerned about our inability to execute correctly, both with the bat and the ball, even during the Powerplay. After the game, Mumbai Indians captain Harmanpreet stated, “We really need to push ourselves more in that phase of the game.”

In addition to praising the Delhi Capitals’ recent victory over the Mumbai Indians and highlighting captain Jemimah Rodrigues’ calm, game-winning knock under duress, former India captain Mithali Raj also evaluated MI’s difficult road ahead against an elite Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

“I believe the Delhi Capitals will benefit greatly from this victory, particularly batter Jemimah Rodrigues. It was crucial for her to score those runs with her bat, as we talked about in the pre-show, and she persevered in the face of losing partners at the other end, Mithali said.

Brief scores:
Mumbai Indians Women 154/5 in 20 overs (Nat Sciver-Brunt 65 not out, Harmanpreet Kaur 41; Shree Charani 3-33, Marizanne Kapp 1-8)

Delhi Capitals 155/3 in 19 overs (Jemimah Rodrigues 51, Lizelle Lee 46; Vaishnavi Sharma 1-20, Amanjot Kaur 1-21) won by seven wickets.