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WPL 2026: Jemimah Rodrigues’ unbeaten 51 guides DC to crucial win over MI

Even as wickets fell, Jemimah Rodrigues found a steady partner in Marizanne Kapp, and they guided DC home with composure.

Jemimah Rodrigues WPL DC vs MIJemimah Rodrigues, Captain of Delhi Capitals during the Match 13 of the TATA Women’s Premier League 2026 between Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians at BCA Stadium, Kotambi, Vadodara, India, on January 20, 2026. (CREIMAS for WPL)

Jemimah Rodrigues produced her best innings of WPL 2026 with an unbeaten 37-ball 51 to lead DC to a 7-wicket win over MI.

Coming into the match on the back of a crushing loss against RCB, Delhi Capitals found themselves at a critical juncture in their WPL 2026 campaign. In a pressure-contest, captain Jemimah Rodrigues led from the front, producing a composed unbeaten 51 to guide DC to a much-needed victory over the Mumbai Indians (MI) in Vadodara.

Rodrigues shines

Unlike her more experienced counterpart, Rodrigues walked out to bat with the chase already given shape by openers Shafali Verma and Lizelle Lee. Their 63-run stand had provided early momentum in pursuit of 155, but with MI tightening the screws through disciplined bowling, DC still required calm control through the middle overs.

Rodrigues responded with an innings built on match-awareness rather than spectacle. She remained unbeaten on 51 off 37 balls, a knock that may not dominate highlight reels but proved decisive in context. She struck five fours and a six, yet dictated the tempo of the chase with maturity and clarity.

What elevated the innings was her ability to absorb pressure. As MI’s bowlers searched for inroads, Rodrigues resisted the temptation to force the pace. She was particularly assured against debutant Vaishnavi Sharma, who produced an outstanding spell.

Her scoring pattern reflected her method: 15 singles and five twos kept the scoreboard moving without exposing herself. Boundaries, when they came, were placed with precision rather than power. It was an innings shaped by reading the situation and responding intelligently.

She found a steady partner in Marizanne Kapp, and together they guided DC home with composure, completing the chase with an over to spare.

In a match where brute force was never guaranteed, Rodrigues’ knock served as a reminder that chases are often won through judgment and temperament.

Vaishnavi impresses on debut

If Nat Sciver-Brunt gave MI hope with the bat, Vaishnavi Sharma ensured they stayed competitive with the ball. Making her WPL debut on the day she was announced as a replacement, Sharma impressed with a spell of control, finishing with 1/20 from four overs and dismissing Shafali Verma with her third delivery. The spell ultimately went in vain, but the composure and accuracy she displayed suggested this could be the start of something promising.

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Brief Scores: Mumbai Indians 154/5 in 20 overs (Sciver-Brunt 65*, Harmanpreet 41; Charani 3/33) lost to Delhi Capitals 155/3 in 19 overs (Rodrigues 51*, Lee 46; Vaishnavi 1/20) by seven wickets.

Based in Mumbai, Shankar Narayan has over five years of experience and his reporting has ranged from the Ranji Trophy to ICC World Cups, and he writes extensively on women’s cricket. ... Read More

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