Really tough to take: Batty rues fourth straight final loss for DC

Delhi Capitals coach Jonathan Batty was left reflecting on another agonising loss as their wait for a WPL title continued. They became only the second team in women's franchise cricket to lose four finals, after Brisbane Heat, following their defeat to Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the 2026 final.

Carrying momentum from the Eliminator and having posted 203 for 4, the highest first-innings total in Vadodara, DC felt they had given themselves a good chance. But a record partnership between Smriti Mandhana and Georgia Voll steered RCB home, leaving the Capitals crestfallen again.

Speaking after the game, Batty said: "It's really tough to take. Having played so well in the Eliminator earlier in the week, and coming into this game with momentum, putting a really good score on the board, I was proud with the way we went about our business with the bat. Twenty overs in, you think, 'okay it's a good score, if we bowl well here, we've got a very good chance.'

"Really disappointing to come out on the wrong end of it again. But full credit to RCB, obviously those two batters, Georgia Voll and Smriti, played absolutely fantastically. But I'm really proud of our team's effort, to still be in the game there, where it looked like it was drifting for a period of time, to still be in that last over and lose with only two balls to go - I think we showed a lot of fight, a lot of heart. But I think the game kind of summed up our season, that we did certain bits really well and other bits kind of fell away at times as well.

"We're obviously doing something really right if we're getting to four finals in a row. I've said it before, I'll say it again. If you keep putting yourself in the finals, you will win one. I thought today was our day. I really did. Like I said, bringing that momentum in compared to last year when we had a long period of downtime leading into it, that was quite tough for the players to come back and sort of find that form again and that game momentum. Today, I was really proud of the way we went about it. It's one of those things in sport, there has to be a loser. Unfortunately, it was us again."

Asked if DC could have done anything differently in the final, Batty felt there were few regrets despite the result.

"Look, I think we've bowled well at times all through the tournament. I think those two batters played really, really well there. I mean, Smriti's one of the best batters in the world right now. Georgia's a high-quality player as well. You know, a batter makes a mistake and lets us into the game. So, no, I'm really proud of the way the bowling unit's gone for the whole tournament.

"All the way through, you've talked about a couple of games where we came out on the wrong side of run chase as well, where it got really close. The margins in T20 cricket are so small. The game is never done. And, you know, 13 runs needed, eight balls I think left in the game, a dot ball there or two, and all of a sudden the pressure ramps up. A batter misses one or mishits it, then you're right in it. So, no, we knew we still had a chance. But it is horrible to lose in the last over with just a couple of balls to go when the players have poured their heart and soul into it."

Batty praised the new captain Jemimah Rodrigues for the way she handled pressure after a difficult start to the season. He highlighted her development as a leader over the course of the season and also her impact with the bat, with the DC skipper coming good in the closing stages of the competition.

"Hugely proud of Jemi. I think particularly losing the first couple of games of the tournament, she was probably under quite a bit of pressure there. She brought her energy and her experience to the table. Obviously, batting-wise, she contributed a lot of runs as well through the tournament. I thought she made outstanding decisions as captain throughout the whole tournament.

"Her leadership grew and grew as we went through it as well. So, I'm really proud of the effort she's put in. She's thrown her heart and soul into this season. So, looking forward to seeing where she takes that over the next few years as well," said Batty.

Batty was also pleased with the bowling performance of new-comer Nandni Sharma, the 24-year old seamer who finished with 17 wickets - the joint most for the season along with Sophie Devine.

"She's been fantastic. She's been on our radar for a little while. I'm just obviously delighted. From game one, she was full of energy. Her skill was absolutely outstanding. Swinging the new ball, her change-ups, nailing her yorkers at the death, those slower balls into the wicket. She's trained incredibly hard as well all through, since our pre-tournament camp in Goa.

"She's worked really hard on those different elements of her skill delivery through different phases of the game. She's picked my brain. She's picked our bowling coach's brain as well. She's talked to the senior bowlers. She's been talking to Kappy, etc. She wants to learn. She wants to work hard and wants to keep learning. And I'm so proud that she's, for me, been the standout bowler of the tournament," Batty said.