New Delhi: Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) women’s team batting coach Rx Murali revealed that the batters had their plan sorted out while chasing a record target of 204 runs in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) final against Delhi Capitals.
Murali said that while every player performed at their best, much of the credit goes to the team selection.
“Whatever we planned at the time of the auction, we were able to execute to the fullest. That gives immense satisfaction. We had a very clear idea of how we wanted to play going into the season, so we bought players accordingly and prepared them for the style of play we wanted,” he told ThePrint.
In successfully executing the plan, RCB joined Mumbai Indians—winners in 2023 and 2025—as the only teams to lift the WPL trophy twice in the tournament’s four-year history.
After chasing down the highest total in WPL final history, RCB cricketers posed for photos with the trophy, danced the night away, and set aside their diet plans to enjoy pasta, biryani, chicken dishes, and more.
Core memory unlocked. 🔓🥹
Want more visuals from last night? Say the word. 👀🎉#PlayBold #ನಮ್ಮRCB #WPL2026 pic.twitter.com/llf5fenZ2I
— Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) February 6, 2026
This entire campaign would be memorable for the squad. They were the table toppers, winning six of the eighth matches played. In the final too, they appeared in control until the 15th over. There were some tense moments as the team lost three back-to-back wickets, when it was 13 runs away from victory.
“I’ll be lying if I say that we were not tense. We got all kinds of thoughts in those fleeting moments. But, we were confident that whoever was going would deliver,” Murali said.
With four runs needed off three balls, Radha Yadav lofted spinner Shree Charani over extra cover to help the team chase down the record target. As she played the shot, the broadcast showed the bails being dislodged at the striker’s end, but Radha was not ruled out hit-wicket.
Clarifying the moment, Murali said the stumps lit up because of Delhi Capitals wicket-keeper Lizelle Lee’s gloves and had nothing to do with Radha.
Captain fantastic
RCB captain Smriti Mandhana, along with Georgia Voll, led the chase with a record-breaking 165-run partnership for the second wicket. Mandhana, the player of the match, plundered 87 off 41 balls.
The skipper claimed the orange cap with 377 runs in nine innings at a strike rate of over 150 and an average of 53.86. Her 87 in the final was her second-highest score of the season, nine runs short of the 96 she scored against the same opponents in January.
Praising Mandhana as one of the best timers of the ball, Murali said that the skipper spends over two hours batting relentlessly in the nets.
“She has got more than 10,000 runs. So, this isn’t new for her. She has been brilliant. She works on her skills, hence, she is one of the best in the world,” Murali said.
Right before the WPL, Mandhana’s personal life made headlines. Her marriage was abruptly called off. The RCB skipper didn’t let that affect the WPL campaign as she guided the team to their second podium win after two years under her watch.
“This is what professionals bring. She had a clear demarcation between what she is doing now and what’s in the past. She has managed it well,” the batting coach said. “She has her own ideas and thoughts about captaining a side. She has got a lot of clarity that was evident in the team throughout the campaign.”
Initially, when RCB stepped out to field, they were looking at restricting DC at 150-160 runs. But, with contributions from middle-order batter Jemimah Rodrigues, (57 off 37 balls), South African batting star Laura Wolvaardt (44 off 25) and West Indian cricketer Chinelle Henry (35 not out off 15), the target was set at 204.
However, Murali said, the players weren’t taken aback and, instead, they immediately made the shift.
“We had clear communication. Once we realised the pitch was much better (to bat), we knew we had to adapt to the conditions. The pitch at DY Patil behaves very differently from Vadodara. That’s why the batters played more vertical and straight shots. Compared to previous games, there were fewer sixes, so we quickly adjusted our approach and focused on hitting boundaries.”
RCB batters hit a total of 32 boundaries, along with three sixes which came from Mandhana’s bat.
Murali credited the performance of players to the six-day break between their last league match and the final clash. “There were 25 days of intense cricket. If the team would have stayed for the six days in Vadodara, the environment would have been more docile. Hence, the management decided to take the team out. They all went different ways and regrouped after three days,” he said.
During the post-final debrief, RCB players, coaches, and management discussed their goals and areas of improvement for the year ahead. “There are a few areas where we can improve and some players whose game we need to take to the next level. We will work on that, starting as and when they are free from their domestic commitments,” Murali added.
(Edited by Tony Rai)