New Delhi: Royal Challengers Bengaluru claimed their second Women’s Premier League title with a thrilling six-wicket victory over Delhi Capitals, chasing down the highest total in WPL final history at Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara Thursday.
Smriti Mandhana and Georgia Voll powered the chase of 204 with a record-breaking 165-run partnership for the second wicket, sealing victory with two balls remaining. 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.
For Jemimah Rodrigues’ Delhi Capitals, it marked a painful fourth consecutive runner-up finish in the tournament.
Mandhana, named player of the match, smashed 87 off 41 balls while Voll contributed 79 off 54 deliveries. Together, they struck 29 boundaries, including three sixes from the RCB captain, dominating until the 15th over with at least one boundary in each over as Delhi fielders were reduced to mere spectators.
The skipper capped a remarkable campaign by claiming the orange cap with 377 runs in nine innings at a strike rate of over 150 and an average of 53.86. Her 87 was her second-highest score of the season, nine runs short of the 96 she hit against the same opponents in January.
The chase wasn’t without drama.
Despite Grace Harris falling in the second over, Mandhana and Voll appeared to be cruising before RCB lost three wickets in quick succession—Voll, Richa Ghosh and Mandhana—setting up a tense finale. The nail-biting last over kept fans on the edge of their seats.
Radha Yadav walked in with 13 runs needed off eight balls. Facing Shree Charani, she struck back-to-back boundaries after a couple of singles to seal the match. A dropped catch of Yadav by Minnu Mani in the penultimate over proved costly for Delhi.
The Capitals’ total was built on strong contributions from Jemimah (57 off 37 balls), Laura Wolvaardt (44 off 25) and Chinelle Henry (35 not out off 15). Wolvaardt and Jemimah added 76 runs, but it wasn’t enough to halt Bengaluru’s march to victory.
In the post-match presentation, RCB’s Lauren Bell, who finished the tournament with 12 wickets and the best economy rate of 5.53, said: “It was a bit tense but I’m just glad we’ve got over the line. What a game of cricket. It was up and down – there were good patches and not so good patches but we got over the line. I’ve absolutely loved the whole month. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience.”
Right-arm bowler Shreyanka Patil dedicated the victory to Mandhana for handling the team despite personal challenges. “I would dedicate this win to Smriti, because she’s gone through a lot in the last one-and-a-half months, so this win is very special. I would love to dedicate this win to her,” Patil said, apparently referring to Mandhana and her long-time partner calling off their wedding recently.
Patil also acknowledged head coach Malolan Rangarajan, who guided the team to the title in his first season in charge.
(Edited by Prerna Madan)
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