DC vs UPW, WPL Highlights: Delhi Capitals beat UP Warriorz to seal Eliminator spot

Shikha Pandey to Laura Wolvaardt, At 103.4 kph, on a back of a length. Laura jabs it from the crease to mid-wicket.

Shikha Pandey to Shafali Verma, Yorker, outside off, Verma digs it out to deep cover for one.

Shikha Pandey to Shafali Verma, Nipping back in, on a back of a length, on middle. Shafali is beaten on the inside edge and wears it high on the thigh.

Shikha Pandey to Laura Wolvaardt, On leg, on a back of a length, Laura turns it square on the leg side for a run.

Shikha Pandey to Laura Wolvaardt, FOUR! That would have been a blinder had Deandra Dottin pulled it off. On a length, outside off, Wolvaardt goes hard on the drive and plays it uppishly to backward point. Dottin is standing in really tight and she sticks out her right hand. She can only get fingertips to it and it races behind for a four.

Shikha Pandey to Laura Wolvaardt, Full and on off, Laura jams it out to point.

Deandra Dottin to Shafali Verma, FOUR! Streaky! That rubs salt into the wounds for the Warriorz. Dottin takes pace off and goes full, outside off, Shafali throws the hands at it and the ball flies off a thickish outside edge over short third for a four.

Deandra Dottin to Laura Wolvaardt, DROPPED! Sophie Ecclestone is the guilty party. That should have been taken. On a back of a length, on off, Laura picks the bones out of it on the pull. Hits it to Sophie on the edge of the ring at mid-wicket. Ecclestone is indecisive whether to take the catch with her fingers pointing upwards or downwards. She stays side on and tries to take the catch over her left shoulder but the ball clips her fingertips and goes behind. They cross.

Deandra Dottin to Laura Wolvaardt, FOUR! Good use of the feet! Dottin takes pace off, on a good length, on middle. Wolvaardt shimmies down the track and brings her bottom hand into play. One hand comes off the bat handle but she manages to whip it over mid-wicket for a four.

Deandra Dottin to Laura Wolvaardt, On the pads, on a short of a length, tickled to short fine leg by Laura.

Deandra Dottin to Shafali Verma, Pace off, on a back of a length, outside off, slapped to deep cover for a single.

Deandra Dottin to Shafali Verma, Lands it on a back of a length, on middle. Verma nudges it to mid-wicket.

Shikha Pandey to Laura Wolvaardt, Angled in at the hips, on a short of a length. Wolvaardt turns it behind square leg for a couple of runs.

Shikha Pandey to Laura Wolvaardt, Fuller and on off, knocked to mid off.

Shikha Pandey to Laura Wolvaardt, A play and a miss! Full and outside off, Wolvaardt pushes away from her body and is beaten on the outside edge.

Shikha Pandey to Shafali Verma, On a length, on off, Verma pushes it wide of cover for a single.

Shikha Pandey to Shafali Verma, Given caught behind but successfully overturned! Angled in at the off stump, nipping away off the deck. Shafali hangs back and brings her bat out in front for the block but she is squared up in defence. A clear deflection and the keeper, Shipra Giri takes a sharp grab behind the stumps. Verma is somewhat convinced that she has not nicked it and after having a chat with the partner, she takes the review. The UltraEdge confirms that the ball has missed the bat and it went behind off the thigh.

Shikha Pandey to Shafali Verma, Wide not given. Did that brush something? Sliding down leg, on a length. Verma swings hard to get it away, but misses. She is confident that the ball did not clip her pads and believes that it should be a wide. Flat line on UltraEdge, but it is a given as a fair delivery. The third umpire reckons that Verma had moved a bit, and it would have hit her on the pads had she not moved. Delhi Capitals lose a review.

Deandra Dottin to Laura Wolvaardt, On off and middle, on a good length. Wolvaardt blocks it off.

First wicket falls for Delhi Capitals. Laura Wolvaardt walks in at number 3.

Deandra Dottin to Lizelle Lee, OUT! TAKEN! Cleverly bowled by Deandra Dottin, and she gets the reward. Dottin keeps it away from the batter's hitting arc and it is the slower one, on the fuller side. Lee moves away from the stumps early and has to reach out for it. She gets low to drag it back over the bowler's head. Balloons it back over the bowler's head and Kranti Gaud runs over her right shoulder from mid off to take a good catch. Delhi Capitals are 11/1, chasing 123.

Deandra Dottin to Lizelle Lee, On off, on a good length, Lee dabs it down on the off side.

Deandra Dottin to Lizelle Lee, FOUR! Lee gets enough on it! Deandra digs it in short, over off. Lee takes on the short ball and even though she does not quite get hold of it, she manages to get it over mid on. Harleen Deol turns around and goes after it but fails to get there in time. The ball drops and trickles into the fence.

Deandra Dottin to Lizelle Lee, Quick work from the keeper, but not enough! Dottin bashes the hard length, outside off. Lee dances down the track and also backs away. Ends up giving herself too much room, and she cannot make any contact. Shipra Giri collects and knocks down the stumps at the batting end but Lizelle was in.

Deandra Dottin to Lizelle Lee, A bit of inward shape, on a good length, on the off stump. Lee covers the line and pats it back to Dottin.

Deandra Dottin will operate from the other end.

Shikha Pandey to Lizelle Lee, In the air...but safe! In and around the off stump, on a good length. Lizelle has a big swing at it to go over cover. This comes more off the outer half and it is sliced over cover for a single.

Shikha Pandey to Lizelle Lee, FOUR! Off the edge! Swinging back in, on a good length, on off. Lee pushes out in front of her body and does so with hard hands. The ball catches the outside edge and races past short third's right for a boundary.

Shikha Pandey to Lizelle Lee, On top of off, Lee gives herself room to force it away on the off side. She picks out Deandra Dottin at backward point.

Shikha Pandey to Lizelle Lee, Pitched up, on off, Lee firms the drive but it goes straight to mid off.

Shikha Pandey to Shafali Verma, A bit fuller than the previous ball, in the channel. Shafali pushes at it with hard hands. Gets an outside edge and the ball goes to short third on a couple of bounces. The fielder dives to her left but does not make a clean stop. It rolls behind for a single.

Shikha Pandey to Lizelle Lee, Lee and the Capitals are away! A bit too short from Pandey, shaping back in, on off. Lizelle nails the pull to deep square leg, where Charli Knott gets low to her left and cuts it off. Just a single.

Welcome back for the second essay. One last huddle for the UP Warriorz before they make their way out to the middle. Out walk the two DC openers, Shafali Verma and Lizelle Lee. Shikha Pandey will get things going with the ball. Pandey to Lee. Here we go!

... THE RUN CHASE ...

The equation now? The equation is crystal clear as we head into the chase. A win here sends the Delhi Capitals straight into the Eliminator to play the Gujarat Giants, while a loss hands that coveted spot to the Mumbai Indians. The Capitals can almost taste the playoffs, but they must remain professional to chase down this low total on a tricky surface. It’s all or nothing under the lights. Will Delhi soar into the playoffs, or is there one last twist in the tale? Stick around, the chase is coming up shortly...

A quick chat - Chinelle Henry says the team knew exactly what was required to qualify and credits the bowling unit for executing their roles well. She admits there was a real buzz after getting Meg Lanning out early and stresses that the focus was on building momentum from that moment. Henry adds that the team discussed match-ups in detail and were willing to try something different, which is why she took the first over. Mentions that she has put in plenty of work with the ball and is pleased to have contributed to the team's cause.

Delhi Capitals were clinical with the ball - It was a masterclass in disciplined bowling from the Delhi Capitals, who executed their plans to perfection. Although she was expensive, Marizanne Kapp ripped through the lineup to claim three crucial wickets. She was expertly supported by Chinelle Henry and Sree Charani, who both chipped in with two wickets apiece to ensure UP could never recover. Delhi’s bowlers have done the heavy lifting, and now the stage is set for their batters to finish the job.

A batting effort to forget for the Warriorz! Their innings never really got out of first gear, headlined by the shock departure of Meg Lanning for her first-ever duck in the WPL. While Deepti Sharma provided a brief spark with a 24-run cameo, the story remained the same for them. Wickets falling in heaps.  By the end of the Powerplay, they were struggling at 36/3, and things only worsened as they reached the halfway mark, reeling at 52/5. Aside from efforts from Simran Shaikh and Shikha Pandey, the lack of partnerships left their total well below par. According to the broadcaster, with only 122 on the board, UP Warriorz can no longer qualify for the playoffs.

Nandni Sharma to Shikha Pandey, A couple of runs to end the innings! Nandni Sharma nails the yorker, outside off, Shikha walks across early and goes deep in the crease. She brings her bottom hand into play and whips it to the right of long on for a couple of runs. 9 runs off the final over help the Warriorz end with 122/8 on the board.

Nandni Sharma to Shikha Pandey, FOUR! Good use of the feet! Nandni bowls a loopy slower ball, on off. Pandey dances down the track and converts it into a full toss. She goes up and over Jemimah Rodrigues at mid off and picks up a boundary.

Nandni Sharma to Sophie Ecclestone, A direct hit and Ecclestone was gone! Another off-pace ball, on a back of a length. Sophie slaps it with a flat bat to mid off. Sophie has to hurry to get home at the bowling end and she survives as Jemimah's throw does not hit the stumps.

Nandni Sharma to Sophie Ecclestone, A big swing and a miss! Back-of-the-hand slower one, on a good length, outside off. Sophie stays leg side of the ball and has a big swing at it but does not connect.

Nandni Sharma to Shikha Pandey, Into the surface, pace taken off, on off. Shikha backs away and steers it between short third and backward point for one.

Nandni Sharma to Sophie Ecclestone, This is on a good length, outside off, Ecclestone backs away and hits it on the up towards deep extra cover for a single.

Chinelle Henry to Shikha Pandey, Good work in the field! Henry pushes the length up and keeps it outside off, Pandey shuffles across and smears it wide of deep mid-wicket. Niki Prasad flings herself to her right in the deep and parries the ball towards the converging deep square leg fielder. Two runs taken. A handy over for the Warriroz. 10 runs off it.

Chinelle Henry to Shikha Pandey, A bit wider, on a good length, Shikha attempts the reverse scoop but misses.

Chinelle Henry to Sophie Ecclestone, Full and on off, Ecclestone backs away and smashes it to deep cover for another single.

Chinelle Henry to Shikha Pandey, Fuller and on off, Shikha walks across the sticks and slogs across the line. She mistimes it aerially in front of deep square leg. They cross.

Chinelle Henry to Shikha Pandey, Angled in at the hips, on a back of a length. Pandey glances it to short fine leg. A bad bounce for Nandni Sharma there and the ball gets past her, allowing the batters to take the second run.

Chinelle Henry to Shikha Pandey, FOUR! Nicely done! Skidding through, on a back of a length, outside off. Shikha gives herself a bit of room and gets on top of the bounce. She cuts it late and to the left of backward point for a boundary.