DC eye 'Giants' scalp to edge closer to playoffs

By this time last week, Delhi Capitals' proud record of reaching the final in every single WPL edition was hanging in the balance. The three-time finalists lost three out of their first four games and needed quite a turnaround in the second half of the campaign to get back in contention for a playoff spot. They are now halfway through in their bid to script their comeback having kicked off the Vadodara leg with two convincing wins. Those victories came against the defending champions and the former champions and one more win on Tuesday (January 27) will certainly take them a step closer to that playoff berth.

While winning both their remaining league fixtures will guarantee them a playoff spot, even winning just one could seal the deal as they are right now the best-placed compared to the rest of the contenders. A switch in venue has certainly done the trick for DC. Following a high-scoring leg in Navi Mumbai, the balance has been restored in Vadodara. The likes of Marizanne Kapp and Shree Charani have been excellent in both the games so far. DC restricted MI to just 154 and then went on to clean RCB up for just 109 before chasing both the targets with ease.

For the Giants, it's been a mixed bag so far. They did kickoff their campaign with two wins but since then the wheels have come off to an extent. They lost three on the trot before redeeming themselves against UP Warriorz. Sophie Devine, who was in blazing form when Giants faced DC earlier in the season, batted well down the order as well. It will be interesting to see if Giants stick to that batting combination or push Devine up top again. If they can see off DC on Tuesday and win their final league game, a spot in the Eliminator will be theirs.

When: Tuesday, January 27, 2026, 7:30 PM IST
Where: BCA Stadium, Kotambi
What to expect: In the four games so far, the results have been 50-50 and that would please the teams as the pattern doesn't suggest the chasing teams having any significant advantage. The par score has been 150.

Chinelle Henry came in and made an instant impact in the last game. So expect her and the rest of the group to hold on to their spots.

Probable XI: Shafali Verma, Lizelle Lee(w), Laura Wolvaardt, Jemimah Rodrigues(c), Marizanne Kapp, Niki Prasad, Chinelle Henry, Sneh Rana, Minnu Mani, Shree Charani, Nandni Sharma

While they are expected to retain their winning combination, it will be interesting to see if Giants push Devine up the order again given she smashed a 42-ball 95 the last time these two sides met.

Probable XI: Beth Mooney (wk), Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Anushka Sharma, Ashleigh Gardner (c), Sophie Devine, Bharti Fulmali, Kanika Ahuja, Kashvee Gautam, Renuka Singh Thakur, Happy Kumari