DELHI – History was made at the Arun Jaitley Stadium Sunday night as the Royal Challengers Bangalore Women (RCB W) lifted the inaugural Women’s Premier League (WPL) trophy in a nail-biting final against the Delhi Capitals.
The Delhi Capitals, captained by Meg Lanning, put up a spirited fight. Lanning (23) and Shafali Verma (44) provided a solid start, but RCB W’s disciplined bowling attack restricted their scoring. Shreyanka Patil (4 wickets) and Sophie Molineux (3 wickets) were the stars for RCB W, with strong support from the rest of the bowling unit. The Delhi Capitals innings ultimately ended with a score of 110.
In reply, RCB W paced their chase strategically. Captain Smriti Mandhana (31) anchored the innings, with explosive contributions from Sophie Devine (32) and Ellyse Perry (34). Despite a few hiccups, RCB held their nerve to secure a thrilling victory by a narrow margin.
The victory sparked scenes of jubilation across Bengaluru and beyond as RCB fans rejoiced in this historic moment. For a franchise often associated with near-misses, the WPL title brings a long-awaited triumph.
“This is surreal,” said an emotional Smriti Mandhana after the match. “The girls have worked incredibly hard, and this victory is for every single one of them and for the amazing fans who stuck by us.”
Delhi Capitals Scorecard:
- Lanning (C) lbw b Patil 23
- Shafali Verma c Wareham b Molineux 44
- Jemimah Rodrigues b Molineux 0
- Alice Capsey b Molineux 0
- Marizanne Kapp c Devine b Shobana 8
- Jess Jonassen c Mandhana b Shobana 3
- Radha Yadav run out Molineux 12
- Minnu Mani lbw b Patil 5
- Arundhati Reddy b Patil 10
- Shikha Pandey NOT OUT 5
- Taniya Bhatia (WK) c Ghosh b Patil 0
RCB W Batting:
- Smriti Mandhana (C) c Reddy b Mani 31
- Sophie Devine lbw b Pandey 32
- Ellyse Perry 34
- Richa Ghosh (WK) 12
RCB W Bowling Figures
- Renuka Singh Thakur 2.0 overs, 0 maidens, 28 runs, 0 wickets, 14.00 economy
- Sophie Molineux: 4.0 overs, 0 maidens, 20 runs, 3 wickets, 5.00 economy
- Ellyse Perry: 2.0 overs, 0 maidens, 14 runs, 0 wickets, 7.00 economy
- Sophie Devine: 1.0 over, 0 maidens, 9 runs, 0 wickets, 9.00 economy
- Georgia Wareham: 3.0 overs, 0 maidens, 16 runs, 0 wickets, 5.33 economy
- Shreyanka Patil: 3.3 overs, 0 maidens, 12 runs, 4 wickets, 3.43 economy
- Asha Shobana: 3.0 overs, 0 maidens, 14 runs, 2 wickets, 4.67 economy
krishna Teja Pedapudi