Gujarat Giants overcame nervous moments to defeat Delhi Capitals by three runs, with medium pacer Sophie Devine and spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad stealing the show in a thrilling WPL 2026 match in Vadodara on Tuesday.
The Delhi Capitals’ chase was thwarted by Devine (4/37) and Rajeshwari Gayakwad (3/20). Jemimah Rodrigues’ team failed to reach 175 and ended at 171/8 in 20 overs. The Delhi Capitals’ pursuit came to an end when Devine struck again, dismissing Sneh Rana and Niki Prasad with nine runs needed off six balls.
Gujarat Giants registered a challenging 174/9, with veteran Australian wicketkeeper-batter Mooney scoring a measured 58 off 46 balls and Anushka Sharma contributing 39 off 25 deliveries. Shafali Verma contributed 14 off 10 balls as the Delhi Capitals got off to a great start in their chase, scoring 16 in the first two overs.
After attempting an ill-timed hoick, left-arm spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad was caught at long-on by captain Ashleigh Gardner, ending Shafali’s innings. Soon after, Lizelle Lee gave Ashleigh Gardner a straightforward catch at mid-on off Sophie Devine’s bowling after struggling for 11 off 20 balls, dealing the Delhi Capitals a second blow.
Tanuja Kanwar and Sophie Devine bowled sharply to keep the Delhi Capitals’ hitters under check, making things difficult for them. Even Laura Wolvaardt and captain Jemimah Rodrigues had trouble finding their range, which led to an increase in the necessary run rate. Jemimah was bowled after miscuing a scoop off Devine’s slower delivery in an attempt to break the shackles. Ashleigh Gardner destroyed Kapp’s defense in the very next over.
To exacerbate the situation, DC fell to 84/5 in the 13th over when Rajeshwari bowled Laura Wolvaardt. Chinelle Henry fell next to Rajeshwari as the Delhi Capitals continued to lose wickets on a regular basis. But Niki Prasad came to the crease and made an immediate impression, striking boundaries and scoring 47 off 24 balls to keep DC in the chase.
After starting her attack with a four, Prasad hit four straight boundaries against Devine. DC scored 23 runs in the 17th over as Sneh Rana (29 off 15) lofted Devine for a six. Prasad persisted in her assault, hitting Kanwar for a four through the covers to get the equation within striking distance.
With 29 needed off 12 balls, Sneh Rana hit two consecutive fours in the 19th over after hitting a six over Gardner. In the same over, Niki Prasad hit another boundary off Gardner, bringing the equation down to 9 runs off 6 balls.
The Gujarat Giants were on the verge of winning the match thanks to Prasad and Rana’s late assault, but Devine struck in the penultimate over, dismissing Rana after she was caught by Wareham, leaving DC needing five runs off the final two balls.
To keep DC in the hunt, the duo added 60 runs off only 31 balls, but they were eventually unsuccessful. With 4 needed off the last ball, Niki Prasad was caught at long-on by Gardner off Devine while trying to hit the winning stroke.
Beth Mooney’s half-century helped GG reach a competitive score after DC left-arm spinner Shree Charani had earlier taken 4/31.
Before captain Mooney and Sharma (39 off 25) combined for 54 runs for the second wicket to give the batting some impetus, GG lost Devine (13) early. Georgia Wareham (11) attempted to push her way but was unable, while GG captain Ashleigh Gardner (2) disappointed once more.
