Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever entered the 2026 WNBA season with lofty expectations.
One of their biggest goals was to defend their Commissioner’s Cup title. This was perhaps Indiana’s most impressive achievement in 2025, apart from making it all the way to the WNBA semifinals.
The Fever were decimated with injuries in 2025. Clark was among five players who suffered season-ending injuries throughout the campaign. She was limited to just 13 games due to multiple soft tissue injuries.
Despite the prolonged absence of their cornerstone superstar, the Fever still managed to win the Commissioner’s Cup last season for the first time in franchise history.
Injured Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham (8) and guard Caitlin Clark (22) react from the bench during the first half of a WNBA game against the Chicago Sky.
Indiana Fever will not defend Commissioner’s Cup crown
The Fever got some bad news on Sunday. This is after the New York Liberty blew out the Washington Mystics at Barclays Center, 86-64. This marked New York’s seventh consecutive win and its fifth straight in the Commissioner’s Cup.
At 5-0, the Liberty remain as the top team in the Eastern Conference. They are now a lock to finish as the No. 1 seed in the East, thereby guaranteeing their spot in the Commissioner’s Cup championship game on June 30.
The top team in each conference will face off in the championship game. As of writing, the Las Vegas Aces are 5-0 for No. 1 in the West.
The Fever currently hold a 4-1 record. They can still finish at 5-1 (each team plays six Commissioner’s Cup games) and potentially tie the Liberty with the same record. However, New York holds the tie-breaker over Indiana after the Liberty beat the Fever on June 6, 83-75.
The Liberty’s win on Sunday means that the Fever have officially failed to defend their title.
The silver lining for Indiana is that the WNBA championship is still very much in play. Clark and Co. are on a three-game winning streak, and they will want to keep their foot on the gas as they approach the mid-way point of the season.
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