Synopsis: Delhi Capitals played their best game in the must-win Eliminator as an all-round performance sees off Gujarat Giants and books a spot in the WPL final It could have been a tricky chase, but the Delhi Capitals’ top order got its act together at the opportune time, making a mockery of the 169-run target set by the Gujarat Giants to seal a seven-wicket win in the Eliminator in 15.4 overs to enter their fourth straight Women’s Premier League (WPL) final. With Jemimah Rodrigues at the helm now, they didn’t have an auspicious start to the campaign, losing the first two games, but they seem to be peaking at the right time ahead of Thursday’s summit clash against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Batters dominate Giants would have been pretty happy at the halfway stage with a score of 168, and would have believed that with a decent bowling effort, they had more than an even chance to make the final. They also had the psychological advantage of denying Capitals in two tight chases during the league phase, Sophie Devine holding her nerve with the ball on both occasions. But Shafali Verma (31 runs in 21 balls) and Lizelle Lee (43 runs in 24 balls) ensured that things never got tight. The score read 75/0 after the powerplay, which broke the back of the chase. The third over, bowled by Rajeshwari Gayakwad, went for 14. The next one, by Devine, for 17 before Renuka Singh Thakur was carted for five boundaries. The strokeplay was of the highest order, but the bowlers didn’t help their cause by offering too much width and missing their lengths. With the stumps not in play, both batters had a free swing at the ball, accessing both sides of the wicket, and not hesitating to go over the infield. Despite leg-spinner Georgia Wareham removing both openers in the same over, Laura Wolvaardt (32 not out in 24 balls) and Jemimah (41 runs in 23 balls) put on 68 runs for the third wicket, which went a long way in helping their side enter the final.Story continues below this ad Early strikes make a difference Marizanne Kapp wasn’t among the wickets on Tuesday, but her new-ball Chinelle Henry definitely was. The 30-year-old Jamaican got success with the new ball, getting rid of the dangerous Devine, and then came back to break the 61-run stand between the Aussie duo Beth Mooney (62 not out in 51 balls) and Wareham (35 runs in 25 balls), before getting Bharti Fulmali for a duck. Mooney and Wareham had taken the Giants from the depths of 59/4 in the ninth over to 120 in the 17th. Nandni Sharma was expensive towards the end, after getting Anushka Sharma and skipper Ashleigh Gardner off her first two balls. The 20th over yielded 15 runs, but in the final analysis, they proved to be well below par. Brief scores: Gujarat Giants 168/7 in 20 overs (Beth Mooney 62 not out, Georgia Wareham 35; Chinelle Henry 3/35) lost to Delhi Capitals 169/3 in 15.4 overs (Lizelle Lee 43, Jemimah Rodrigues 41; Georgia Wareham 2/28) by seven wickets
WPL 2026: Delhi Capitals cruise into fourth straight final with seven-wicket win over Gujarat Giants
