Lizelle Lee was at her destructive best for the second straight game as Delhi Capitals defeated UP Warriorz by seven wickets for their first victory of the 2026 Women’s Premier League in Navi Mumbai on Wednesday.
UP Warriorz was reduced to a below par 154 for eight in the final overs after an inexplicable batting collapse. The Meg Lanning team only scored 24 runs and lost up to six wickets in the final five overs.
With 67 off 44 balls, Lee, who hit 86 in the previous game, was largely responsible for the Delhi Capitals’ run chase. Three brilliant sixes and eight fours were part of her knock.
On the last ball of the game, the seasoned Laura Wolvaardt (25 not out off 24) helped the Delhi Capitals over the finish line.
Captain Jemimah Rodrigues (21 off 12) was dismissed in the penultimate over, and her unhappiness at not being able to finish was evident.
Delhi Capitals were unable to finish off the game after a fine start and the game went down the wire. Despite Sophie Ecclestone’s strong 20th over, Wolvaardt’s winning four helped the Delhi Capitals avoid embarrassment.
While the UP Warriorz have yet to see success this season, it was the first victory for the Rodrigues-led team in three attempts.
In addition to Lee’s powerful performance, Shafali Verma scored 36 off 32 balls at the top of the order before succumbing to a reverse sweep.
Earlier, the Capitals restricted Warriorz to a modest total after making the debatable decision to retire out Harleen Deol on 47. With Kiran Navgire falling without adding to the scoring, Warriorz’ problems at the top of the order continued.
Warriorz’s top scorer was Captain Lanning (54 off 38), while number three Phoebe Litchfield (27 off 20) was stumped off Sneh Rana’s first ball following Powerplay. The innings was stabilized by Lanning and Harleen’s 85 runs for the third wicket, but the last flourish in the last over never materialized.
The management decided to retire Harleen before the 17th over began in search of big hits, but her replacement Chloe only stayed for three balls. In the brief history of the WPL, Ayushi Soni of the Gujarat Giants became the first batter to be retired on Tuesday night.
Marizanne Kapp was the best bowler for the Capitals (2/24 in four overs), while Shafali struck twice in the 20th over.
