WPL 2026 | Match 20: DC vs UPW | Preview and Predictions 

Playoff aspirants Delhi Capitals will play bottom of the table UP Warriorz in Match 20 of the 2026 Women’s Premier League season at Kotambi Stadium on 1st February 2026. 

Here is our Preview and Prediction for the game. 

Women’s Premier League 2026 | Match 20: Delhi Capitals vs UP Warriorz | 19:30 IST, 1 February 2026 

If there’s one thing Jemimah and her girls know for sure, it is: whatever may the outcome of the Gujarat Giants vs Mumbai Indians clash in Match 19 be, their playoff qualification chances will still rest in their own hands. 

If the GG beat MI, the Capitals will only need to secure a win against the Warriorz in the final league phase fixture while, if MI beat GG, Jemimah and her girls will still have to win but with one eye on the net run rate with all three franchises potentially tied on eight points. 

Two commanding victories against the Mumbai Indians and the table toppers Royal Challengers Bengaluru set them up nicely for a playoff run, however, a narrow gut-wrenching three-run defeat to the Gujarat Giants in their last game has left them with all to do in this final league encounter. 

The batting unit as a whole has done reasonably well. Newcomer Lizelle Lee leads the run-scoring chart with 230 runs while Laura Wolvaardt, Shafali Verma and skipper Jemimah have all crossed the 100-run mark. In the bowling department, both Nandani Sharma and Shree Charani have been class acts, taking 14 and 12 wickets respectively. 

As far as their opponents are concerned, two comprehensive defeats in their last two fixtures has resulted in the UP Warriorz becoming the first team to get eliminated this season. There have been very few positives in what has been a very disappointing campaign for Meg Lanning’s team. 

That said, they need several players to step up and do a job if they want to end their league phase with a win and spoil DC’s party. In the batting department, skipper Meg Lanning leads the way with 248 runs in seven innings. New acquisition Phoebe Litchfield has scored 243 runs in six matches while Harleel Deol (164 runs) has also chipped in with a couple of good knocks, however, the rest of the batting lineup has failed miserably. 

The bowling department has been even worse. They are yet to take 10 wickets against a single opposition without their recent 8-wicket haul against the Gujarat Giants currently the highest. Sophie Ecclestone and Shikha Pandey lead the wicket-takers’ list with six wickets apiece while both Deepti Sharma sits next in line with five wickets. 

In terms of weather forecast and pitch report, conditions are expected to be clear and ideal for Cricket. Unlike DY Patil Sports Academy, runs have been hard to come by at the Kotambi Stadium with the slow nature of the wickets giving bowlers a slight edge. 

Looking ahead to this fixture, the Delhi Capitals come into this contest in a do-or-die situation while the UP Warriorz come into this contest having been already knocked out of playoff contention. However, despite their recent loss, DC look much more balanced and well equipped to tackle this struggling UP Warriorz side. Thus, we’re backing Delhi Capitals to win this match. 

Fantasy XI: Lizelle Lee, Meg Lanning, Laura Wolvaardt (c), Phoebe Litchfield, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Chinelle Henry, Marizanne Kapp, Sophie Ecclestone, Nandani Sharma (vc), Shree Charani 

Venue: Kotambi Stadium, Vadodara 

Winners Prediction: Delhi Capitals