In a match that swung like a pendulum between dominance and desperation, the Gujarat Giants maintained their unbeaten streak in the 2026 Women’s Premier League with a heart-stopping four-run victory over the Delhi Capitals.
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The night belonged to Sophie Devine, whose belligerent 95 with the bat and ice-cold composure with the ball prevented Delhi from pulling off the highest successful run-chase in the tournament's history.
After being put in to bat, the Giants' overseas contingent put on a range-hitting clinic. Devine, in particular, was unstoppable, equalizing the WPL record for the most sixes in an innings i.e. 8.
The highlight of her blitz was the sixth over, where she dismantled Sneh Rana for 32 runs; now the most expensive over in WPL history. Devine reached her half-century in just 25 balls and looked destined for a hundred until a back-of-the-hand variation from debutant Nandini Sharma forced a top edge, caught spectacularly by N. Shree Charani.
The match set a new benchmark for the impact of international players:
337 runs were aggregated by overseas batters, shattering the previous record of 278.
Gujarat Giants posted 80/0 in the Powerplay (the second-highest in WPL history).
122/1 at the 10-over mark signalled a massive total was on the cards.
While the Giants threatened a total of 230+, Delhi Capitals’ Nandini Sharma dragged her side back into the contest with a historic final over.
Nandini became the fourth player to take a hat-trick in WPL history, but more significantly, the first uncapped player and only the second Indian to do so. Her five-wicket haul, i.e. 5/26, limited the Giants to 209, a formidable but reachable target on the D.Y. Patil deck.
Delhi’s response was led by the South African duo of Lizelle Lee and Laura Wolvaardt.
Lizelle Lee with her 86 off 38, provided the foundation, playing with innovation and "no-look" sixes.
Laura Wolvaardt scored 77 off 38, after Lee’s dismissal, going into overdrive, bludgeoning 40 runs in just 13 balls to bring the equation down from 60 needed off 24 balls to just seven off the last six.
Delhi Capitals now sit at the bottom of the table with consecutive losses. Despite stupendous individual efforts; Nandini's five-for and the Lee-Wolvaardt 163-run partnership, their inability to close out tight games is increasingly worrying. For the Giants, the ability to win from the brink has solidified their position at the top of the table.
"To be able to defend seven in the last over, I felt like we stole that game," said Giants captain Ashleigh Gardner. "It gives a lot of belief that we can win from any position."
