‘If You Keep Reaching Finals, You Will Win One’: Batty Backs DC After Fourth Straight WPL Heartbreak

Delhi Capitals head coach Jonathan Batty struck a defiant yet reflective note after his side suffered a fourth consecutive defeat in a Women’s Premier League final, insisting that consistent appearances at the business end of the tournament will eventually bring success.

Speaking well past midnight on Friday after DC’s narrow loss to Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Batty admitted the defeat was difficult to digest — particularly given how close his team came to securing their maiden WPL title.

“It’s really tough to take,” Batty said. “Having played so well in the Eliminator and coming into this game with momentum, then putting a really good score on the board, I was proud of the way we went about our business with the bat.”

Delhi posted a formidable 203, underlining their ability to set targets and not merely chase, despite five of their wins this season coming while batting second. Even after Smriti Mandhana and Georgia Voll produced a record 165-run partnership — the highest in WPL history — DC managed to drag the contest deep into the final over.

“After 20 overs you think, if we bowl well here, we’ve got a really good chance,” Batty said. “But full credit to RCB. Smriti and Georgia played absolutely fantastically.”

DC were handed a late opening when RCB needed 13 off eight balls, but Minnu Mani spilled a difficult catch at extra cover to reprieve Radha Yadav. A wicket at that stage, following the dismissals of Mandhana and Richa Ghosh, could have swung the final. Instead, Radha went on to haunt her former franchise, striking consecutive boundaries in the final over to seal the title for RCB.

“I’m really proud of our effort to still be in the game when it looked like it was drifting,” Batty said. “To lose with just two balls to go shows a lot of fight and heart. But it summed up our season — we did certain things really well, and other bits fell away at times.”

Batty reserved special praise for Jemimah Rodrigues, who led DC for the first time this season and finished as the team’s leading run-scorer in the final with 57.

“I’m hugely proud of Jemi,” Batty said. “She came under pressure early after losing the first couple of games, but her leadership grew and grew through the tournament. She made outstanding decisions and threw her heart and soul into this season.”

Reflecting on tactical decisions, Batty said he would not change how DC used senior allrounder Marizanne Kapp, despite questions over whether her fourth over could have been introduced earlier.

“We’ve used her that way all tournament to try and break partnerships,” he said. “On a really good wicket, with no seam movement, that was always going to be tough. Sometimes batters don’t make mistakes — and they didn’t.”

Despite the heartbreak, Batty insisted DC were doing plenty right.

“The common denominator is we keep losing,” he said with a rueful smile. “But we’re obviously doing something right to reach four finals in a row. If you keep putting yourself in finals, you will win one. I really thought today was our day.”

Batty also highlighted the emergence of uncapped seamer Nandani Sharma as a major positive from the campaign. Sharma finished with 17 wickets, joint-highest in the tournament alongside Sophie Devine.

“She’s been fantastic,” Batty said. “From game one, she brought energy, skill and a real desire to learn — swinging the new ball, executing yorkers at the death and using her variations brilliantly. For me, she’s been the standout bowler of the tournament.”