Delhi Capitals clinched a playoff spot in the WPL 2026 with a clinical win over UP Warriorz.
Anjum Chopra highlighted the timing and dominance of Delhi Capitals' victory:
"Delhi Capitals came to the party
late, but they came at the right time. It was a clinical performance against Meg Lanning's UP Warriorz. We said before the match that Delhi Capitals are the better team, and that was clear on paper and in their play. They outplayed UP Warriorz in all three areas. Yes, they lost early wickets as Shafali Verma and Lizelle Lee failed again, but that is part of the game. In the end, Delhi Capitals won and have reached the playoffs for the fourth season in a row in WPL history. Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Giants need to be wary of this strong Delhi side led by the fighting spirit of Jemimah Rodrigues."
On how gaps in the UP Warriorz squad and inconsistent performances led to their disappointing season:
"UP Warriorz did not have the season they wanted. They had World Cup winner Meg Lanning as Captain, but the team had many gaps. They never found a stable opening pair. First, Kiran Navgire opened with Lanning, but it did not work. Then they tried Deepti Sharma, but opening is not her role. She always batted in the middle order, so she struggled against the new ball. This put more and more pressure on Lanning and the team. Their bowling in the powerplay was also a big problem all season, though it was better against Delhi Capitals because of Deandra Dottin and Shikha Pandey. You have to wonder what would have happened if they had taken those two easy catches off Laura Wolvaardt, especially with Shafali Varma not scoring at the other end."
Saba Karim spoke about Jemimah Rodrigues' calmness under pressure:
"Cricket teaches you a lot. You learn as a player and as a person. Sometimes you try hard but don't succeed. Other times, when you bat with a calm mind and enjoy the moment, the result goes your way. Delhi Capitals Captain Jemimah Rodrigues batted that way against UP Warriorz. The pressure was building in the final overs, and her innings of 34 runs came at the right time. Wickets were falling, and it seemed Delhi Capitals might crack under pressure again, like they did twice against Gujarat Giants this season. But the skipper stayed cool. In the 19th over, she played the right shots and took her team over the line."
On the factors behind Mumbai Indians' exit from the playoff race:
_"It is shocking that Mumbai Indians are out of the TATA WPL without making the playoffs for the first time. This is a team that usually controls its own fate. They start slow but have a history of fighting back. As defending champions, they had a great auction and brought back most of their best players. Yet, they still did not qualify, even with stars like Harmanpreet Kaur, Amelia Kerr, Nat Sciver-Brunt, and Hayley Matthews. Their biggest issue was batting. While Nat Sciver-Brunt was terrific, their openers were very poor. They tried Amelia Kerr at the top, and then Sajeevan Sajana with Matthews, but nothing worked well. To bring Matthews back, they dropped Nicola Carey, who was doing really well. This hurt the team's balance. Their bowling was good, but bowlers alone cannot win a tournament; batters must contribute. It was a disappointing season. They must go back to the drawing board next season to win
