 "Royal Challengers Bengaluru became the first franchise to simultaneously reign as WPL and IPL champions after winning their second Women's Premier League title in Vadodara on Thursday, 5 February. Image credit: Royal Challengers Bengaluru")
Delhi Capitals failed to lift their curse in Women’s Premier League finals as Royal Challengers Bengaluru pulled off a record chase in Vadodara to be win their second three in three years. Captain Smriti Mandhana (87) and Georgia Voll (79) struck fifties and forged a mammoth 165-run partnership for the second wicket as RCB recovered from a jittery start to soon find themselves in the driver’s seat.
Despite losing three wickets in quick succession in the death overs, the cushion provided by the Mandhana-Voll partnership ensured the Royal Challengers chased down the massive 204-run target set by the Capitals with six wickets and two balls to spare.
RCB achieve unique feat with second WPL title, go level with MI
The victory makes Royal Challengers Bengaluru the first franchise to reign as WPL as well as Indian Premier League champions simultaneously, with the Rajat Patidar-led men’s team having won their maiden IPL title last year.
RCB also went level with Mumbai Indians as the joint-most successful franchise in the richest T20 league in the women’s game.
Jemimah Rodrigues, like her RCB counterpart and India teammate Mandhana, had played a captain’s knock earlier in the evening after DC were asked to bat in the final. Rodrigues, who had starred in India’s historic Women’s World Cup triumph along with Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur and several others in November, top-scored for her side with a knock of 57 off 37 balls.
Laura Wolvaardt (44) and Chinelle Henry (35 not out) later chipped in with handy knocks in the death iovers to ensure Delhi became the first team to post a 200-plus total in a WPL final. Henry would later remove RCB opener Grace Harris in her first delivery of the evening at the Kotambi Stadium.
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View AllThe sheer quality and depth in RCB’s batting order, however, ensured they got over the line comfortably in the end.
DC have now featured in all four finals since the inaugural edition of the Women’s Premier League in 2023, suffering a heartbreak on each occasion.
Australian legend Meg Lanning had captained the side in the first three seasons while Rodrigues took over in the fourth season that took place after the first-ever WPL mega auction.