The Women’s Premier League 2026 finally saw its first crack in Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s flawless campaign as Delhi Capitals produced a commanding all-round performance at the Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara to halt the five-match winning streak of the table-toppers.
What was billed as a clash between momentum and desperation turned into a showcase of Delhi’s discipline, as they first strangled RCB’s batting and then chased down a modest target with calm authority.
RCB, sent in to bat on a surface that was always going to demand patience and precision, never truly recovered from the loss of Smriti Mandhana. The Bengaluru captain had started brightly, driving with her usual fluency and briefly suggesting that RCB could once again overpower an opponent. She struck two elegant boundaries and a clean six in the powerplay, lifting RCB to 54 for one at the eight-over mark and putting them slightly ahead of the required curve.
But the moment Minnu Mani deceived Mandhana with a slower off-break and found the top edge, the innings took a decisive turn. From 54 for one, RCB slipped into a familiar pattern of pressure and collapse. Delhi’s bowlers, led superbly by Nandni Sharma, refused to release the chokehold. Lengths were adjusted cleverly, pace was taken off the ball, and batters were forced into risky strokes on a surface that offered little true bounce.
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Georgia Voll was bowled by Marizanne Kapp, Gautami Naik fell to Sree Charani, and Richa Ghosh was smartly caught off Minnu Mani as RCB’s middle order unravelled. Even Nadine de Klerk, usually so reliable, could not find the boundary when it mattered, eventually mistiming a slog to be caught by Jemimah Rodrigues. Delhi’s fielding matched the bowling intensity, with sharp catching and energetic ground work ensuring that nothing came easy.
By the time the death overs arrived, RCB were already well behind the curve. Nandni Sharma then delivered the final blow, removing Arundhati Reddy lbw and cleaning up Sayali Satghare to finish with a decisive late spell. Her figures told the story of the night three for 26, including two wickets in the final over as RCB were bundled out for 109, a total that looked at least 30 runs short on a ground where even cautious chases are rarely beyond reach.
Delhi’s reply began with early drama. Shafali Verma was stumped in the second over, and Lizelle Lee departed soon after, leaving Delhi two down inside the powerplay. For a brief moment, RCB sensed an opening. But what followed was the stand that defined the match.
Laura Wolvaardt and Jemimah Rodrigues settled the innings with a mature, low-risk partnership that drained the energy from Bengaluru’s attack. Wolvaardt, elegant and unhurried, found the gaps with gentle nudges and the occasional authoritative drive, while Rodrigues rotated strike smartly, ensuring the required rate never crept into dangerous territory. Their 52-run stand was not built on explosive hitting, but on clarity of purpose take singles, punish the loose ball, and never allow panic to enter the equation.
Rodrigues eventually fell to Radha Yadav, but by then the target was well within sight. Wolvaardt carried on, unfazed, anchoring the chase with a composed unbeaten 42. When Marizanne Kapp joined her, the outcome was no longer in doubt. Kapp, fresh from an excellent bowling spell, played the perfect supporting role, picking off boundaries when needed and keeping the pressure firmly on RCB’s bowlers.
The end came fittingly through Kapp’s bat, as she struck the winning runs to seal a seven-wicket victory with more than four overs to spare. The celebration that followed was not just about two points; it was about a statement. Delhi Capitals had not merely beaten the unbeaten team they had outthought and outplayed them in every department.
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For RCB, the defeat was a sobering reminder that even the strongest runs can end abruptly when discipline slips. Their batting lacked adaptability after Mandhana’s dismissal, and on a slow Vadodara surface, their inability to rotate strike and build partnerships proved costly. The bowlers, too, found little margin for error once Wolvaardt and Rodrigues took control.
For Delhi, however, this was the kind of performance that can define a season. Nandni Sharma’s incisive new-ball and death-over bowling, Minnu Mani’s clever use of spin in the middle overs, and the calm authority of Wolvaardt and Rodrigues with the bat reflected a side growing in belief and cohesion. With this win, Delhi not only climbed to second place on the table, they also announced themselves as genuine contenders for the title.
In a league that thrives on momentum, this night in Vadodara belonged to the Capitals a night when planning, patience and precision came together to bring down the previously unstoppable Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
