Ahead of the final league fixture of the 2026 Women’s Premier League on Sunday, Delhi Capitals’ fate was in its own hand. The three-time runner-up needed a win against UP Warriorz at the Kotambi Stadium to set up a clash with Gujarat Giants in the Eliminator on Tuesday.

Jemimah Rodrigues and Co. achieved their objective despite a wobble towards the end, beating Warriorz by five wickets to qualify for the playoffs for the fourth season in a row.

The result consigned Warriorz to the last spot, and also knocked out defending champion Mumbai Indians.

AS IT HAPPENED | DC vs UPW Highlights

After Marizanne Kapp’s three-wicket haul restricted Warriorz to 122 for eight, Capitals took a measured approach in the chase. Shafali Verma and Laura Wolvaardt, who was dropped twice, forged a stand of 73 for the second wicket. A few wickets tumbled as Capitals neared the target, but Jemimah got the job done with an unbeaten 34.

Earlier, Chinelle Henry and N. Shree Charani, with two wickets each, played supporting roles for DC.

The tone of the contest was set at the very outset.

Off a full ball first up, Henry found a hint of swing. Meg Lanning appeared tentative with her forward stride, and got struck on the pads to be dismissed leg-before.

When Charli Knott entered the middle for her WPL debut, she managed to get Kapp away for two boundaries. But Kapp had the last laugh in this mini-battle — she had the 23-year-old caught behind with a bouncer.

Kapp accounted for Deepti Sharma too. In the PowerPlay, Deepti’s go-to option was to clear the front leg and slog across the line. While it yielded four fours and a six, Kapp was astute in deceiving the left-hand batter with a slower ball that was skied to extra cover.

Warriorz’s plight went from bad to worse in the ninth over as Harleen Deol’s botched attempt at a sweep resulted in a leg-before dismissal by Shree Charani.

Sensing the opportunity to go for the kill, Jemimah used up Kapp’s full quota by the 10th over.

The all-rounder pinned Deandro Dottin leg-before on review to claim her third scalp of the evening.

Published on Feb 01, 2026