New Delhi, 12 January 2026: A high-scoring thriller unfolded in Navi Mumbai last night as our clash against the Gujarat Giants went right down to the wire. Despite a spirited chase and standout performances across the park, we fell just short in a contest decided in the final moments.
After winning the toss and electing to bowl under the lights at the DY Patil Stadium, we looked to make early inroads and stop a batting lineup brimming with firepower. Giants’ ace Sophie Devine wasted no time asserting herself, taking the attack to our bowlers and powering to a breathtaking 95, a knock full of authority and big hits. Support came from Ashleigh Gardner, whose quick 49 kept the momentum firmly with Gujarat, helping them to post a formidable 209 on the board.
On our side, Nandini Sharma gave us a real moment to celebrate, producing a spectacular bowling spell with a fifer including a scintillating final over hat-trick, a rare and memorable achievement in WPL history. She finished with impressive figures of 5/33. Sree Charani was another talking point as she made the highlight reel with some incredible catches.
Chasing down 210, we got off to a flying start thanks to Lizelle Lee, who paced her innings beautifully en route to a fiery 86 off 54 balls, peppered with boundaries that kept us firmly in the hunt.
As Shafali fell early, joining Lee was Laura Wolvaardt, another standout performer, who raced to 77 from just 38 deliveries, anchoring the middle overs and bringing us within touching distance of our target. The partnership between Lee and Wolvaardt was the backbone of our chase and swung the momentum back in our favour.
As the match galloped towards a spicy finish under the lights, we found ourselves needing only a handful of runs (7) in the final over. But in one of the tightest finishes of the season, Gujarat Giants held their nerve thanks to Sophie Devine who proved to be on another level today in all aspects.
Despite our best efforts, we ultimately finished on 205/5, just 4 runs shy of what would’ve been a memorable chase for the Capitals. Though the result didn’t go our way, there were plenty of positives to take forward - particularly the multiple impactful individual performances with both bat and ball. Our squad showed intensity, skill, and belief right up to the last ball in a contest that had fans on the edge of their seats.
We regroup quickly, learn fast, and look to bring that same competitive spirit into our next challenge in WPL 2026, against UP Warriorz on 14th January, Wednesday.
