There was a sense of deja vu as the equation for Delhi Capitals (DC) came down to 6 off 6, and Marizanne Kapp couldn’t put bat to ball to make it 6 off 5. Three nights ago, they had lost after needing 7 off 6. On Wednesday, Kapp creamed the next ball through cover to ease the nerves. But Ecclestone followed it with two more dots before DC were left needing 1 off the final ball. Laura Wolvaardt,  who was dismissed in the last over against Gujarat Giants (GG), then sealed DC’s first win in WPL 2026 when she crunched the cover drive on the final ball and dealt UP Warriorz (UPW) their third defeat on the trot.

It should not have been this tough for DC after Lizelle Lee and Shafali Verma set base with a 94-run partnership. Lee hit her second half-century in a row, smashing eight fours and three sixes, before Jemimah Rodrigues injected momentum into the chase with a 14-ball 21. This was after UPW’s batting collapse, which kept them to 154 for 8. Lanning scored her first fifty of the season against her old team but the middle-order couldn’t contribute much with Kapp and Shafali picking up two wickets each.

Lanning put away the first ball she faced to the square leg ropes to become the third player to pass 1000 runs in the WPL. She then pierced the gap at backward point with her favourite cut shot to bookend the second over, bowled by Minnu Mani, with a four. It helped that Phoebe Litchfield was languid at the other end, after UPW lost Kiran Navgire, sent to open, on the third ball. Lanning and Litchfield added 47 for the second wicket before the latter fell.

After slowing down a little, Lanning seemed to find her touch once the field opened up. She lapped Sneh Rana, who struck with her first ball to have Litchfield stumped, through fine leg. The stroke of the game came in the ninth over when Lanning planted her front foot and launched Chinelle Henry over the sight-screen for the only six of the UPW innings. With Harleen Deol for company, Lanning completed her fifty in 32 balls and the pair added 85 for the third wicket. At 130 for 2 after 15 overs, UPW had the perfect platform for the final assault

On paper, UPW have a power-packed batting line-up. But for a third game in a row, they underfired. It all began when Lanning pulled Nandani Sharma’s short ball straight in the hands of Henry at deep square leg. Shweta Sehrawat then drilled the second ball she faced just over Nandani’s head. But the 17th over, bowled by Shafali Verma, yielded just three runs before UPW retired Deol out.

Deol hit four fours in her first 13 balls to be on 25, and then was on 47 off 36 before head coach Abhishek Nayar called her in. Chloe Tryon, who made her debut after being on the bench three seasons for Mumbai Indians, replaced Deandra Dottin in the XI but fell for 1 off 3 balls. UPW could never get the finishing kick as they lost 6 for 20 in 4.2 overs to end up with a below par total. UPW’s middle-order woes came to haunt them after they lost 4 for 11 in their previous game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru and three wickets for one run against GG.

Lee got to her second successive fifty in 30 balls with DC 87 for 0 at the ten-over mark. Shafali fell when she tried to reverse sweep Asha. Deepti ran to her left from short third to pull off a diving catch. Lee holed out to long-on off Deepti 19 balls later to give UPW an opening. A 14-ball boundaryless phase at the death, that included Rodrigues’ wicket, raised UPW’s hopes, but it was not to be.

Brief scores:
Delhi Capitals Women 158 for 3 in 20 overs  (Lizelle Lee 67, Shafali Verma 36, Laura Wolvaardt 25*, Jemimah Rodrigues 21;  Deepti Sharma 2-26, Asha Sobhana 1-20) beat UP Warriorz Women 154 for 8 in 20 overs (Meg Lanning 54, Phoebe Litchfield 27, Harleen  Deol 47, Shweta Sehrawat 11; Shafali Verma 2-16, Marizanne Kapp 2/24, Nandani Sharma 1-29, Sneh Rana 1-20, Shree Charani 1-29) by seven wickets

[Cricinfo]