🏏WPL 2026: Match 3: DCW vs MIW at Navi Mumbai on 10/01/26🏏

🏏WPL 2026: Match 3: DCW vs MIW at Dr DY Patil Sports Academy, Navi Mumbai on 10/01/26 7:30PM IST🏏

Yesterday it was between Harmanpreet and Smriti and today it is between Harmanpreet and Jemima. Very interesting.

Rodrigues set for captaincy debut against wounded Mumbai Indians

MI will also keep an eye on Hayley Matthews' recovery who missed the opening match with a shoulder strain

When Delhi Capitals (DC) held a press conference to announce their captain before the inaugural edition of the WPL, there was a lot of buzz. They had Meg Lanning, a serial World Cup winner with Australia, in their ranks. But they had bid hard for Jemimah Rodrigues at the auction. They had staved off Mumbai Indians, the team from Rodrigues' home city, and bagged the India batter for INR 2.2 crore.

Appointing Lanning as captain was a no-brainer; she was fresh off leading Australia to their fourth T20 World Cup title as captain just days ago. However, Rodrigues' candidature was strong, not least because she is managed by JSW Sports, the sports arm of the co-owners of DC. The role would not have been new to her, per se. She had captained Mumbai in Under-19 cricket before. She went on to lead Mumbai to the Senior Women's T20 Trophy in 2023-24 while also topping the batting charts.

Having been the deputy to Lanning, one of the best minds in the sport, Rodrigues now gets her time under the sun. She takes over as DC captain at a time when the side is searching for the next leap. They have been runners-up in each of the three editions. The responsibility comes at a time when her graph as a batter is also on the rise; her knock in the World Cup semi-final was epochal.

Team news

Hayley Matthews was sidelined with a shoulder strain for the first game, which meant MI had to shuffle their otherwise settled batting line-up. In case she gets fit, the defending champions will have a tough act of deciding between Kerr, who struggled at the top of the order but bowled exceptionally, and Nicola Carey, who provided the finishing touches with the ball.

Mumbai Indians: 1 Amelia Kerr, 2 G Kamalini (wk), 3 Nat Sciver-Brunt, 4 Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), 5 Nicola Carey, 6 S Sajana, 7 Amanjot Kaur, 8 Poonam Khemnar, 9 Sanskruti Gupta, 10 Shabnim Ismail, 11 Saika Ishaque

DC are likely to slot Laura Wolvaardt as a straight swap for Lanning at the top. The only area of contention in a line-up that largely selects itself is whether they go with an extra quick in Nandani Sharma or an offspin-allrounder in Minnu Mani.

Delhi Capitals: 1. Shafali Verma, 2 Laura Wolvaardt, 3 Jemimah Rodrigues (capt), 4 Marizanne Kapp, 5 Niki Prasad, 6 Chinelle Henry, 7 Alana King, 8 Taniya Bhatia (wk), 9 Minnu Mani, 10 Sneh Rana, 11 N Shree Charani

In the spotlight: Amelia Kerr and Marizanne Kapp

Opening the innings in the absence of Matthews, Amelia Kerr looked all at sea against Lauren Bell's moving ball. Read all you want into it, for she is coming off her maiden T20 century, at the women's Super Smash only ten days ago. She had followed it with a half-century as well. Against RCB, Kerr more than made up for the sloppy start with the ball by going to the top of the pile among the leading wicket-takers in the WPL.

With an inexperienced seam attack at DC, how Marizanne Kapp's overs are spread out could hold the key to their fortunes. In the WPL so far, she has primarily been used in the powerplay and the middle overs, where she swings the ball. She has bowled only five overs at the death (overs 17-20) in the competition, and has an economy of 11.2 in that phase. Even accounting for slow, sticky conditions, which could nudge DC to use more spin overs towards the end of the economy, Kapp might be required to bowl more overs towards the close of the innings with Chinelle Henry being the only other experienced seamer.

Key stats

Shafali Verma will be up against one of her nemesis in T20 cricket in Shabnim Ismail. In 13 innings in the format, Shafali has scored 87 runs from 76 balls against Ismail. But the former South Africa quick has dismissed Shafali six times, three of which have been in the WPL.

Rodrigues has bossed her duel with Nat Sciver-Brunt in T20 cricket. She has scored 46 runs off 19 balls for one dismissal against the England allrounder in the WPL. Overall across T20 leagues, Rodrigues has scored 105 runs off 65 balls against her for one dismissal.

MI W vs DC W Head to Head Record in T20s

Matches Played 8

Won by MI W 4

Won by DC W 4

Tied / No Results 0

First-ever Fixture March 09, 2023

Most-recent Fixture March 15, 2025

MI W vs DC W Probable Best Performers

Probable Best Batter: Shafali Verma

Shafali Verma has been a different player altogether since her heroics in the 2025 World Cup final. Following that, she also top-scored for the Women in Blue in the recent series against Sri Lanka at home. Continuing her scintillating run of form with the bat, the opening batter is expected to play a key role for the Delhi-based franchise in the upcoming contest.

Probable Best Bowler: Marizanne Kapp

Marizanne Kapp is the only genuine pacer in the Delhi Capitals' line-up, and she is expected to carry the bulk of the load of bowling during the powerplay overs. The experienced campaigner has been brilliant for the franchise over the years, and also looked in great form during the latter half of 2025 for the South Africans. She can be expected to strike crucial breakthroughs against Harmanpreet & Co.

Today's Match Prediction: Team batting first to win the match

Disclaimer

The prediction is based on the understanding, analysis, and instinct of the author. While making your prediction, consider the points mentioned, and make your own decision.

Thank you Raji for the thread and for tagging me. Difficult to choose one team !

Like every season, Delhi Capitals finished as the losing finalists even in WPL 2025. It was another campaign in which they topped the points table but ended up without the trophy.