Delhi Capitals dominated the first innings of the WPL 2026 final, amassing 203/4 to give Royal Challengers Bengaluru a mountain to climb—204 runs—in Vadodara’s BCA Stadium. The spotlight shone brightest on Laura Wolvaardt, Jemimah Rodrigues, and Chinelle Henry, whose combined efforts scripted this high-scoring spectacle.
Thursday’s toss went RCB’s way, with captain Smriti Mandhana opting to bowl. But Capitals’ openers Shefali Verma (20 off 13, 3×4) and Lizelle Lee (37, 3×4, 3×6) punished loose balls, adding 49 in 5.5 overs. Lee’s departure brought Wolvaardt and Rodrigues together, who piled on 76 runs in 51 balls for the third wicket.
Rodrigues’ 57 (37 balls, 8×4) was the heartbeat of the innings, blending finesse with power. Wolvaardt chipped in with 44 (5 boundaries), unbeaten until the end, then exploded alongside Henry’s blistering 35* (15 balls) for a 54-run stand that catapulted the score past 200.
Sayali Satghare, Arundhati Reddy, and Nadine de Klerk snared a wicket apiece for RCB, but it wasn’t enough. Rodrigues’ Capitals lineup: Lee (wk), Verma, Wolvaardt, Kapp, Henry, Prasad, Rana, Mani, Chanu, Sharma. Mandhana’s RCB: Harris, Voll, Ghosh (wk), Yadav, de Klerk, Vastrakar, Reddy, Satghare, Patil, Bell.
Now, all eyes on RCB’s batting firepower. A successful chase would mark their first WPL title; failure hands it to Capitals. Tension builds as the final unfolds.