Vadodara, Jan 24 (NationPress) Nandni Sharma marked her inclusion in the India A squad for the Rising Women’s Asia Cup with an impressive performance, claiming 3-26, while Laura Wolvaardt remained unbeaten on 42 as Delhi Capitals concluded Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s unbeaten streak with a seven-wicket triumph in their 2026 Women’s Premier League (WPL) match at the BCA Stadium in Vadodara on Saturday.

On a sluggish pitch, Nandni shone with her precision and skillful use of slower deliveries, taking her tally to 13 wickets in the current edition—making her the Indian pacer with the highest wickets in WPL history, as RCB fell for just 109 runs. Besides Nandni, Marizanne Kapp, Chinelle Henry, and Minnu Mani each captured two wickets, while N. Sree Charani added one in a disciplined bowling display from DC.

In pursuit of a modest target of 110, DC successfully crossed the finish line with 4.2 overs remaining, elevating them to second place on the points table and enhancing their Net Run Rate. Shafali Verma provided a brisk start before being dismissed alongside Lizelle Lee in successive overs bowled by Sayali Satghare.

Captain Jemimah Rodrigues (24) and Laura steadied the innings with a composed 52-run partnership. They capitalized on RCB’s fielding errors, as the opposing team dropped catches and misfielded, allowing easy runs. Though Jemimah was dismissed before the chase concluded, Marizanne Kapp (19 not out) joined Laura to finish the chase effectively.

RCB, already guaranteed a playoff spot, were outclassed in all aspects, concluding with 109 all out—marking their lowest score of the season. Meanwhile, DC celebrated their second consecutive win, reinforcing their playoff ambitions.

Shafali ignited Delhi’s innings with a flurry of boundaries off Lauren Bell, scoring 16 runs in the first over. However, her dismissal in the second over, stumped off Sayali, halted DC’s momentum. Two overs later, Lizelle also fell to Sayali as her slog-sweep was caught at deep backward square leg.

Laura Wolvaardt and captain Jemimah Rodrigues rebuilt steadily, accumulating runs through careful strokes and taking advantage of RCB’s lapses. Rodrigues was dropped twice, finding her rhythm with consecutive boundaries off Arundhati Reddy, while Laura ensured the scoreboard kept ticking with singles and occasional fours.

Despite Jemimah’s dismissal at extra cover off Radha Yadav, the South African duo of Marizanne and Laura managed to navigate the team to safety. Marizanne struck clean boundaries off Lauren and Radha, while Laura hit a four and a six each off Lauren and Georgia Voll. The chase concluded in the 16th over when Marizanne swept Shreyanka Patil for four, securing a decisive win for DC and enhancing their net run rate.

Earlier, captain Smriti Mandhana displayed brief composure, scoring 38 off 34 balls before falling after the first timeout. This led to a collapse for RCB on a challenging pitch, resulting in their lowest WPL total. Radha was the only other batter to resist, but her dismissal in the 17th over sealed RCB's fate as they struggled to set a competitive score, with only three batters reaching double figures.

Opting to bat first, Smriti and Grace Harris struck seven boundaries in 4.3 overs before the latter was caught at backward point off a probing Marizanne. Smriti anchored the innings with six fours and a six, but her dismissal—slog-sweeping to square leg off Minnu—triggered a collapse.

Georgia and Gautami Naik quickly followed, being bowled by Marizanne and Charani respectively, before Richa Ghosh had her drive brilliantly caught by Laura at backward point. At 78/5, RCB was in dire straits, and Radha briefly lifted hopes of a respectable total with a straight six off Minnu.

However, her departure to Chinelle, after edging behind Lizelle, dashed those hopes. After Chinelle dismissed Nadine de Klerk, Nandni took charge in the final overs, trapping Arundhati Reddy lbw, removing Shreyanka with a slower ball, and bowling Sayali to conclude with a well-deserved three-wicket haul.

Brief scores:

Royal Challengers Bengaluru 109 all out in 20 overs (Smriti Mandhana 38, Radha Yadav 18; Nandni Sharma 3-26, Marizanne Kapp 2-17) lost to Delhi Capitals 111/3 in 15.4 overs (Laura Wolvaardt 42 not out, Jemimah Rodrigues 24; Sayali Satghare 2-18, Radha Yadav 1-10) by seven wickets