Jemimah Rodrigues may have endured a shaky start to her captaincy stint, but she rose to the occasion when it mattered most, producing a calm unbeaten fifty to lead Delhi Capitals to a vital seven-wicket win over Mumbai Indians in Vadodara on Tuesday, January 20 and keep their playoff hopes alive.
WPL 2026, MI vs DC: Live Score | Updates
After restricting Mumbai to 154 for 5, Delhi began brightly through Shafali Verma and Lizelle Lee, who added 61 for the opening stand and set the tone with aggressive intent. Shafali’s brisk 29 ended when she was bowled by Vaishnavi Sharma, but Lee continued to dominate before the match turned on a dramatic stumping decision that sparked controversy. Lee was ruled out for 46 after a prolonged third-umpire review, leaving Delhi wobbling at 76 for 2 and momentum swinging briefly Mumbai’s way.
From there, Rodrigues took control. Calm and composed, the skipper stitched together a steady partnership with Laura Wolvaardt before surviving a nervy middle phase as wickets and dot balls slowed the chase. With the asking rate climbing, Rodrigues found timely boundaries and ran hard between the wickets, keeping Delhi in the hunt.
The decisive burst came in the final four overs. Rodrigues lofted Nat Sciver-Brunt for a crucial six in the 16th, then followed it with inventive strokes off Hayley Matthews to push Delhi closer. Her reverse lap for four in the 18th over brought up a well-crafted half-century and tilted the contest decisively in Delhi’s favour.
Marizanne Kapp provided the finishing touch, launching Sciver-Brunt over deep mid-wicket for a six to seal the win with an over to spare. Rodrigues remained unbeaten on 51 off 37 balls, while Kapp chipped in with a quick 10 not out.
Earlier, Mumbai had recovered from a poor powerplay to post a competitive total thanks largely to Nat Sciver-Brunt’s classy 65 and Harmanpreet Kaur’s fluent 41. The pair rebuilt after early strikes from Marizanne Kapp and Nandni Sharma left Mumbai reeling at 23 for 2. Harmanpreet dominated the spinners with a flurry of sweeps before falling to Shree Charani, while Sciver-Brunt anchored the innings to the end.
Delhi’s bowlers held their nerve in the death overs, conceding just 11 runs across the 18th and 19th to keep the target manageable.
In the end, it was Rodrigues’ poise amid chaos — and her ability to finish the job — that proved decisive, as Delhi Capitals stayed alive in the playoff race with a win built on composure, timing and leadership.
WPL 2026 | WPL Points Table | WPL 2026 Schedule | Live Score
– Ends
