Shafali dazzles with all-round show vs UP Warriorz

• Delhi Capitals defeated UP Warriorz by 7 wickets; first WPL 2026 win.
• Lanning's 53 & Deol's 47 for UP not enough; Verma & Kapp took 2 wickets each.
• Lee's 67 & Wolvaardt's boundary sealed the chase after Sharma took 2 wickets.

Navi Mumbai, Jan 14: Delhi Capitals registered their first victory of the Women's Premier League season 2026, defeating UP Warriorz by seven wickets in a tightly

contested match at the Dr. DY Patil Sports Academy on Wednesday (January 14).

Chasing a target of 155, Delhi Capitals reached of the innings, with Laura Wolvaardt hitting the winning boundary to snap her team's two-match losing streak in the WPL 2026.

Electing to field first, Delhi Capitals restricted UP Warriorz to 154 for 8 in their allotted 20 overs. The Warriorz innings was anchored by captain Meg Lanning, who scored a fluent 53 off 35 balls, including five boundaries and a six.

After losing opener Kiran Navgire early for a duck, Lanning stabilised the innings alongside Phoebe Litchfield (27 off 20 balls). Following Litchfield's dismissal, Harleen Deol joined Lanning, contributing a vital 47 off 36 balls to keep the scoreboard moving in the middle overs.

However, the Delhi bowlers pulled things back in the death overs. Shafali Verma was the pick of the bowlers, claiming 2 for 16 in her four overs, while veteran seamer Marizanne Kapp returned figures of 2 for 24. The Warriorz lost momentum late in the innings, losing wickets in clusters, including that of Deol and Sophie Ecclestone, which prevented them from posting a more imposing total.

In reply, Delhi Capitals began their chase with intent. Openers Lizelle Lee and Shafali Verma provided a solid foundation, sharing a 94-run partnership that took the game away from the Warriorz initially. Lee was the aggressor, smashing 67 runs to set the tone for the chase. Verma supported well with a composed 36 before falling to the UP bowlers.

The match tightened in the final stages as UP Warriorz's all-rounder Deepti Sharma struck crucial blows with her quality spin bowling, removing both Lee and captain Jemimah Rodrigues to bring the equation down to the wire. Needing 7 runs off the final over bowled by Sophie Ecclestone, the pressure mounted on the batters.

However, Laura Wolvaardt held her nerve, striking a boundary off the last ball to secure the two points for Delhi. Deepti Sharma was the most successful bowler for UP Warriorz, but her efforts were not enough to defend the total.

Brief scores: UP Warriorz 154/8 in 20 overs (Meg Lanning 53, Harleen Deol 47, Shafali Verma 2/16, Marizanne Kapp 2/24) lost to Delhi Capitals 158/3 in 20 overs (Lizelle Lee 67, Shafali Verma 36, Deepti Sharma 2/29, Sophie Ecclestone 0/28) by 7 wickets.