- News
- Sports News
- Cricket News
- DC vs RCB, WPL Highlights: Delhi Capitals end RCB’s winning streak with commanding 7-wicket victory
DC vs RCB, WPL Highlights: Delhi Capitals end RCB’s winning streak with commanding 7-wicket victory
After choosing to field, Delhi struck early and applied relentless pressure through the middle overs. Smriti Mandhana stood tall for RCB with a well-paced 38 off 34 balls, but found little support from the other end. Grace Harris fell early, and the middle order collapsed as DC’s bowlers mixed pace and length intelligently. Radha Yadav’s brief cameo of 18 was the only other notable contribution as RCB slipped from a steady start to 78 for 5 and were eventually bowled out for 109.
Nandani Sharma was the standout with three wickets, while Kapp, Minnu Mani and Chinelle Henry consistently hit the right areas to choke the scoring. The fielding effort further tightened the screws, ensuring RCB never recovered momentum.
Delhi’s reply was briefly unsettled by the early dismissals of Shafali Verma and Lizelle Lee, but the calm presence of Laura Wolvaardt restored order. The South African batter paced her innings beautifully, remaining unbeaten on 42. Jemimah Rodrigues complemented her with a composed 24 as the pair added 52 runs for the third wicket.
With the target in sight, Marizanne Kapp sealed the win in style, striking the boundary that completed a commanding chase with 26 balls remaining. The result pushed Delhi to second on the points table and breathed fresh life into their season, while RCB were forced to regroup after their first stumble.
Chinelle Henry to Smriti Mandhana, FOUR! Finds the gap this time! This is a wide yorker, outside off. Smriti opens the face of her bat and squeezes it through the point region for a boundary.
Chinelle Henry to Smriti Mandhana, Pitched up and on off, Smriti drives it firmly but straight to extra cover.
Chinelle Henry to Grace Harris, TWO WIDES! Errs in line and serves this down the leg side, Harris misses her flick. Lee, the keeper, dives to her left but only parries it to short fine. A wide and a bye taken.
Chinelle Henry to Smriti Mandhana, Back of a length and around off, Mandhana pulls it away to deep square leg for a run.
Chinelle Henry to Grace Harris, Around middle, on a length, Harris works it towards mid-wicket and rotates the strike.
Chinelle Henry to Grace Harris, Swing and a miss! Henry takes the pace off and serves it on a length outside off, Harris swings at it without much conviction and misses.
Free Hit loading...
- Smriti Mandhana 4 (11)
- Grace Harris 0 (2)
Marizanne Kapp to Smriti Mandhana, Gets away with it! Pitched up and around off, Smriti tries to loft it down the ground but gets it nowhere from the middle of the bat and miscues it towards mid off. It goes on one bounce to the fielder.
Marizanne Kapp to Smriti Mandhana, Now, an appeal for LBW, but turned down yet again! Jemi has a chat with her keeper and bowler, and decides very late to go for the review. However, it does not matter as the siren goes off, which means Kapp has overstepped here. It is called a No Ball. Coming to the delivery, this is on the length, and on middle and leg, shaping in. Mandhana misses her flick and gets hit on the pads. The Ball Tracking later shows that it had pitched in line and would have hit the stumps. Lady Luck for Smriti.
Marizanne Kapp to Smriti Mandhana, Touch fuller, on off, Smriti steers it away towards point.
Marizanne Kapp to Smriti Mandhana, Lands this on a good length and around off, Smriti opens the face of her bat and guides it towards cover-point.
Marizanne Kapp to Smriti Mandhana, WIDE! Bangs this into the pitch but down the leg side again. Mandhana swivels and tries to hook it away but misses. Called a wide.
Marizanne Kapp to Smriti Mandhana, Appeal for caught behind, but the umpire says no! Jemimah Rodrigues looks very animated and after a chat with her keeper, she goes for the review. Kapp looks on, slightly bemused, not entirely convinced there is anything in it. This is on a fuller length and down the leg side. Smriti looks to flick it away and it looks like it brushes the pads on the way to the keeper, where Lee grabs it. UltraEdge and replay confirm that there is no bat involved. DC lose a review.
Marizanne Kapp to Smriti Mandhana, Back of a length and on middle and off, Smriti stays back and dabs it down in front of short cover.
Marizanne Kapp to Smriti Mandhana, Marizanne Kapp begins with a hard-length delivery, on middle, Smriti Mandhana gets behind the line of it and blocks it down the pitch.
A watchful start from RCB as Chinelle Henry bowled in some good areas. It is going to be Marizanne Kapp to bowl from the opposite end.
- Grace Harris 0 (2)
- Smriti Mandhana 4 (4)
Chinelle Henry to Grace Harris, Much fuller and on middle, attacking the stumps, Harris defends it with a straight bat. 6 runs off the first over!
Chinelle Henry to Smriti Mandhana, Back of a length and angling into the body of the batter. Smriti gets tucked up trying to work it away and it drops off her thigh pads beside the pitch. The batters cross for a leg bye.
Chinelle Henry to Smriti Mandhana, On a length and on middle, Mandhana pats it down the pitch.
Chinelle Henry to Smriti Mandhana, EDGED AND FOUR! Lucky for the RCB skipper. Henry serves this full and around off, gets it to shape away now. Mandhana looks to push it away with hard hands but gets an outside edge. It flies wide of Lee, behind the stumps, and goes through the vacant first slip region for a boundary.
Chinelle Henry to Smriti Mandhana, Gets it right in the blockhole, on middle, shaping into the left-hander now. Mandhana gets her bat down well to dig it out.
Chinelle Henry to Grace Harris, A big shout for LBW right away, but turned down! Chinelle Henry starts with a full delivery, on middle and leg, shapes in a bit. Grace Harris looks to clip it away but misses and it goes off her pads towards mid-wicket. A leg bye taken. Probably going down the leg side.
It is time to get going. The match officials and players are out in the middle, and a healthy crowd has turned up for a Saturday evening contest. Out walk Smriti Mandhana and Grace Harris, the two RCB openers, ready to set the tone. Chinelle Henry is back in the XI, and she will be kicking off proceedings with the ball. One slip in place. Here we go...
Captain of RCB Smriti Mandhana says it is quite windy today, which could mean there is less dew around. She shares that she was considering batting first but feels that, given how the tournament has played out, chasing is very much the way to go. She adds that the toss goes 50-50 and that is how it is meant to be. She mentions that playing the final straight is a positive but says she is not thinking too far ahead, instead focusing on the smaller details. Tells that the side is shaping up as a strong and well-balanced unit. Informs that they have one change as the fit-again Arundhati Reddy comes in for Prema Rawat.
Captain of DC Jemimah Rodrigues says that bowling first under lights makes sense as the ball skids on better to the bat and the dew is expected to come in later. She feels the pitch looks fresher and believes the ball might come nicely onto the bat, although she still expects it to stay low, which keeps the game plan unchanged. She also mentions that there are two changes to the side with Chinelle Henry and Minnu Mani replacing Lucy Hamilton and Deeya Yadav (injured). She adds that the youngsters bring a lot of energy into the group, and the senior players feed off that energy while sharing their experience, making it a two-way process.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Playing XI) - Grace Harris, Smriti Mandhana (C), Georgia Voll, Gautami Naik, Richa Ghosh (WK), Nadine De Klerk, Radha Yadav, Arundhati Reddy (In place of Prema Rawat), Shreyanka Patil, Sayali Satghare and Lauren Bell.
Delhi Capitals (Playing XI) - Shafali Verma, Lizelle Lee (WK), Laura Wolvaardt, Jemimah Rodrigues (C), Marizanne Kapp, Niki Prasad, Chinelle Henry (In place of Lucy Hamilton), Sneh Rana, Minnu Mani (In place of Deeya Yadav), Sree Charani and Nandni Sharma.
Toss - Both the captains are out in the middle. Smriti Mandhana gives the coin a flip, and Jemimah Rodrigues calls 'Heads.' It comes down as Heads, and Delhi Capitals elect to bowl.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru Women Squad: Grace Harris, Smriti Mandhana(c), Georgia Voll, Gautami Naik, Richa Ghosh(w), Nadine de Klerk, Radha Yadav, Shreyanka Patil, Prema Rawat, Sayali Satghare, Lauren Bell, Prathyoosha Kumar, Arundhati Reddy, Dayalan Hemalatha, Pooja Vastrakar, Linsey Smith
Against a dominant and unbeaten RCB, every tactical adjustment counts. Partnerships, running between wickets, and rotating the strike will be vital. The Capitals must also make early breakthroughs with the ball to keep RCB under pressure. This match could define whether DC’s WPL 2026 season ends in disappointment or keeps playoff hopes alive.
For Delhi Capitals, this could be both a challenge and an opportunity. With injuries affecting DC’s options, the team will need to adapt quickly. The slow Kotambi pitch means each session is tactical, rewarding patience and clever bowling changes. RCB’s depth allows flexibility, but Capitals must focus on partnerships, strike rotation, and capitalizing on any loose deliveries to stay alive in the tournament.
Kotambi’s slow pitch and early assistance for bowlers could make run-scoring challenging, meaning every tactical decision matters. RCB’s strong line-up and unbeaten run heighten the stakes. For DC, this is a chance to restore confidence, build momentum, and prove that despite injuries and setbacks, they can still challenge the top teams in WPL 2026.
The match is effectively a do-or-die for DC, who must win to stay in playoff contention. Every run and wicket could decide their fate, making Rodrigues’ clarity in tactics and execution a decisive factor.
With Marizanne Kapp, Jemimah Rodrigues, and Shafali Verma leading the batting, DC can challenge RCB’s strong lineup. For the defending side, RCB’s Radha Yadav and Pooja Vastrakar bring balance and options. Strategic bowling and fielding will be key, especially in the powerplay, to limit big partnerships and keep the Capitals under pressure.
Against an unbeaten RCB, DC must focus on building partnerships and scoring efficiently on Kotambi’s slow pitch. Early wickets could be decisive, and every run counts. This fixture could define the Capitals’ WPL 2026 campaign.
Delhi Capitals, meanwhile, struggle with injuries and experimental line-ups. With three games left, they must find momentum quickly. Kotambi’s slow track will reward patience and precise execution. The clash is not just about runs but managing pressure, adapting to the pitch, and exploiting RCB’s experimentation in the powerplay and middle overs.
RCB, undefeated and already qualified, can afford to experiment, but the Capitals will need their stars, including Jemimah Rodrigues and Shafali Verma, to fire. On Kotambi’s slow pitch, anything above 160 will be competitive, making strategy, shot selection, and early wickets crucial in this high-stakes encounter.
Opting to field first, Delhi’s bowlers set the tone early and never let RCB settle. Apart from captain Smriti Mandhana’s fluent 38, the RCB batting line-up struggled badly against disciplined bowling and sharp fielding. Eight batters were dismissed for single-digit scores as RCB were bowled out for just 109 in 20 overs. Nandani Sharma led the attack with three wickets, while Marizanne Kapp, Minnu Mani and Chinelle Henry chipped in with two wickets each.
Delhi’s chase began on a shaky note as Shafali Verma and Lizelle Lee fell inside the powerplay, reducing DC to 24 for 2. However, Laura Wolvaardt and captain Jemimah Rodrigues calmly rebuilt the innings with a decisive third-wicket partnership. Wolvaardt anchored the chase with an unbeaten 42, while Rodrigues played a composed knock of 24 to guide DC close to the target.
Marizanne Kapp finished the job with an unbeaten 19 as Delhi reached 111 for 3 with more than four overs to spare. The win lifted DC to second place on the table with six points, while RCB remained on top despite the setback.
Match Statistics
Venue
BCA Stadium, Vadodara
