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Sophie Devine once again produced an exceptional last over, defending 9 runs off it to help Gujarat Giants (GG) clinch a thrilling 3-run victory against the Delhi Capitals (DC) in the Women's Premier League (WPL) 2026 on Tuesday. The veteran New Zealand all-rounder dismissed a well-set Sneh Rana and Niki Prasad in the final over to turn the game in her side's favour.
Chasing a challenging target of 175 runs, DC were in all sorts of trouble at one stage after being reduced to 100/6 following a middle-order collapse. However, Niki and Rana combined to get their chase back on track with an epic 70-run stand for the seventh wicket at the BCA Stadium in Vadodara.
Young Prasad batted fearlessly on her way to notching up 47 off 24 balls, while the experienced Rana scored 29 off 15 balls. They nearly took DC home until Devine halted their progress in the final over of the game. Defending 9 runs in the last over, the Giants' all-rounder conceded only three runs off the first three balls to pile pressure on Prasad and Rana.
Rana ended up getting caught on the 4th delivery, trying to go big, leaving DC to get 5 runs off the last two balls. With 4 runs to win on the last ball, Prasad managed to get back on strike. However, she couldn't finish it off and was caught by Georgia Wareham at deep mid-wicket as Devine secured a thrilling win for the Giants.
It was not the first time Devine secured a thrilling win for the Giants with a superb last over, having successfully defended 7 runs against DC in the first meeting between the two sides in WPL 2026 earlier this month. She was the pick of the bowlers for GG in the match, finishing with excellent figures of 4/37 after her sensational last over.
Spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad also enjoyed a superb outing in the game for the Giants with a three-wicket haul, which saw her run through DC's top order during their 175-run chase.
Earlier, Beth Mooney starred with the bat to help the Gujarat Giants post a strong total of 174 runs on the board after DC won the toss and asked the Ashleigh Gardner-led side to bat first in the game. Opening the innings, Mooney played a fine knock of 58 runs off 46 balls.
She lost her opening partner, Devine (13), early, but joined hands with young Indian batter Anushka Sharma (39) to share a crucial 54-run stand for the second wicket to set the stage for a strong total for the Giants. Despite the Giants losing regular wickets in the middle overs, a late cameo of 11-ball 21 from spinner Tanuja Kanwer powered them to 174/9 in 20 overs.
Despite Parsad and Rana's exploits, the Gujarat Giants bowlers managed to hold their nerves to successfully defend the total and secure a thrilling win for their side. With the win, Gardner & Co. moved to the second spot on the points table with 8 points from 7 matches, inching closer to securing a spot in the playoffs.
Gujarat Giants will play their final league game against Mumbai Indians on January 30, and a win will guarantee their spot in the top three. Meanwhile, DC remain 4th with six points from 7 games and a net run rate of -0.164. They need to win their final league game against UP Warriorz to remain in contention for a spot in the playoffs.
