WPL 2026 Preview: Gujarat Giants, Delhi Capitals square off in a must-win exciting clash

There is very little to choose between the Gujarat Giants and Delhi Capitals as the winner of this match would land one foot in the playoffs.

The Giants were on a three-match losing streak before they beat the bottom-most side UP Warriorz in their last fixture. The Capitals on the other hand had a statement wins against Royal Challengers Bangalore who were otherwise unbeaten in the tournament. Delhi backed it up with a win over Mumbai Indians to settle themselves comfortably as strong contenders for the playoffs.

In terms of their rivalry, Gujarat was at one stage trailing 1-4. However, they have now improved to 3-4. The last match between these two sides saw a nail biting finish as the Sophie Devine defended 7 runs in a high-scoring contest. A lot of significant and nearly balanced matchups define this rivalry between the Gujarat Giants and the Delhi Capitals.

Sophie Devine and Beth Mooney wreaked havoc when they last faced the Capitals. An opening stand of 94 in 50 balls laid the foundation for a big total. For Delhi, coincidentally, Lizelle Lee and Shafali Verma’s highest partnership was also worth 94 runs, which came in only 69 balls against UP Warriorz.

However, when it comes to consistency, the duo from the Pacific has been much more consistent. Moreover, Danni Wyatt-Hodge’s introduction in the previous match has further bolstered the batting lineup of the Gujarat Giants. The English woman was the third-highest leading run-getter in the Women’s Big Bash League this season. In her first match of the WPL this year, she managed a decent 14 off 8 deliveries as an opener.

Sophie Devine continued to impress. Wyatt-Hodge’s swap for Goergia Wareham pushed the veteran Kiwi down to No.5 in the batting order. Yet, Devine managed a half century. For the forthcoming clash against the Giants, considering Wareham’s lacklustre performance against the Giants in the previous fixture, the Giants might continue with Wyatt-Hodge despite the success of the Devine-Mooney partnerhsip at the top. Mooney and Devine have ensured to strike at nearly 10 runs pe over in the first four overs almost always this season. It will be keen to see how the Giants order their top three.

Both Laura Wolvaardt and Ashleigh Gardner find themselves among the Top 10 run-getters this seasons. Both players have been the anchor the batting innings for their respective sides. While Gardner has found support in the form of a promising Anushka Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues has kept the scoreboard ticking and supported Wolvaardt in the middle order.

This match will also see a contest between two power hitters of the tournament so far. Bharti Fulmali and Chinelle Henry have the second and third highest strike rates respectively of the WPL season this year. Both players are striking at a little over 160 and can be signficant game changers for their sides.

Nandni Sharma is the leading wicket-taker of the tournament with 13 to her name. Sophie Devine finds herself tied at the third spot with RCB’s Lauren Bell with 11 wickets. In terms of economy, Marizane Kapp has impressed with the dot balls consistently. The veteran South African’s economy of 5.08 will be something that the Giants will take a note off.

Another bowler who has quietly done the supporting act for the Capitals is Shree Charani. At an economy of 8.22, she has taken 8 wickets in the competition thus far. To counter her equally, the Giants have Rajeshwari Gayakward by their side. In only four matches, Gayakwad has taken six wickets at an economy of only 7.11.

The Giants find fire to their pace with the inclusion of Renuka Singh Thakur and Kashvee Gautam whereas, the Capitals have a stronger spin attack with Sneh Rana and Minnu Mani.

Gujarat Giants Probable XI: Beth Mooney (wk), Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Sophie Devine, Anushka Sharma, Ashleigh Gardner, Kanika Ahuja, Bharti Fulmali, Kashvee Gautam, Renuka SIngh Thakur, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Happy Kumari/Tanuja Kanwar

Delhi Capitals Probable XI: Lizelle Lee (wk), Shafali Verma, Laura Wolvaardt, Jemimah Rodrigues, Marizanne Kapp, Niki Prasad/Pragati Singh, Chinelle Henry, Sneh Rana, Minnu Mani, Shree Charani, Nandni Sharma