NAVI MUMBAI: Playing in her first Women’s Premier League season, South African wicketkeeper Lizelle Lee smashed her second half-century (67, 44b, 8×4, 3×6) on the trot to star in Delhi Capitals’ nerve-wracking seven-wicket win over UP Warriorz at the DY Patil Stadium on Wednesday night. The game went down to the wire as UPW fought back late, leaving DC with six to go, bowled by Sophie Ecclestone. South African captain Laura Wolvaardt (25 not out, 24b, 2×4, 1×6) hit a four to cover the second ball and reduce it to just two from four balls, but Ecclestone recovered brilliantly to get to the last ball, and DC needed one.
Wolvaardt then broke through the cover zone to seal DC’s first win in WPL-2026, and also their first under new captain Jemimah Rodrigues (21, 14b, 3×4). Unfortunately, it was held before empty stands, as crowds were not allowed due to Thursday’s municipal elections.After a 54-ball, 86-run knock in her previous outing against Gujarat Giants, the 33-year-old Lee, who plays in women’s T20 leagues across the world and scored 1,896 runs in 82 T20Is for South Africa, flourished again. It was the third straight defeat for the so far winless UP Warriorz, certainly a bad start for their new head coach Abhishek Nayar. Chasing 155, DC were given an ideal start of 94 runs in 69 balls by Lee and India opener Shafali Varma (36, 32b, 6×4). For some reason, UPW barely gave India all-rounder Deepti Sharma a chance to do anything in the match: she scored two after batting at number 9 in the last over, and went on to bowl until the 15th over. Suffering a shock collapse, the Warriorz lost six wickets for 20 runs in 26 balls after captain Meg Lanning, playing against her former team, scored a half-century (54, 38b, 9×4, 1×6). However, the biggest talking point of UPW’s innings, which ended at 154 for eight in 20 overs, was their debatable decision to retire their India batter Harleen Deol when she was batting for 47 (36b, 7×4). Appearing shocked after Nayar asked her to leave the area, Harleen became the second player in the WPL to be withdrawn – both decisions coming on two consecutive days – after debutant Ayushi Soni (11, 144b) was recalled by Gujarat Giants against Mumbai Indians on Tuesday night.However, while GG’s decision turned out to be correct, with incoming batsman Bharti Fulmali smashing 36 not out off 15 balls, UPW’s move, taken to ensure a good end to the innings after 17 overs, did not work out well, as next South African batsman Chloe Tryon (1), playing her first match after sitting in the MI dugout for three years and replacing Deandra Dottin in this game, was caught in the deep at mid-wicket after just balls, off Shree Charani, leading to slip.The decision to withdraw her three less fifty will surely hurt Harleen’s confidence as she is an experienced player and was part of India’s World Cup-winning team last year, unlike Ayushi, who is a rookie.After Sophie Ecclestone (3) and wicketkeeper Shweta Sehrawat (11) left, India’s ace all-rounder came in for Deepti Sharma at number 9, another highly questionable decision.Deepti died for just two as part-time bowler Shafali Verma took two wickets in the end of the innings, finishing with 2-16 in four overs to prove her worth as a bowler. From 141 for 3 in 17 overs, UPW sank to 152 for eight in the final over.Earlier, after Rodrigues won the toss and elected to bowl first again for the third consecutive time, opener Kiran Navgire’s woeful tournament (she was out for 1 and 5 in the previous matches) continued when the Maharashtra batsman was caught mid-on by SA speedster Marizanne Kapp, who finished with 2-24 in four overs. Lanning, who scored her 10th WPL half-century, put together a 35-ball, 47-run partnership for the second wicket with Phoebe Litchfield (27, 20b, 5×4) and then 85 off 56 balls for the third wicket with Harleen.
