In a one-sided final on Sunday night, Royal Challengers Bangalore cruised to an 8-wicket victory over the Delhi Capitals. RCB's all-around excellence in both batting and bowling led them to their first-ever WPL title, much to the dismay of the home fans. The chase of 114 was completed with three balls to spare. The game was effectively decided when Sophie Molineux ripped through the DC batting order with a three-wicket over, capping the Capitals' total at 113 runs.
A clinical Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) defeated Delhi Capitals (DC) by 8 wickets in the summit clash on Sunday night. RCB players starred with both bat and ball to thrash DC in front of their home crowd, clinching their maiden Women’s Premier League (WPL) title. RCB chased down the target of 114 with three balls to spare, much to the disappointment of the weekend crowd that turned out to support the home team. Earlier, Australian all-rounder Sophie Molineux bowled a dream over of three wickets which turned the match on its head, as DC could only muster 113 runs on a big final.
DC initially looked strong as Meg Lanning and Shafali Verma provided a rapid start, putting on 64 runs in 7 overs, with Shafali playing a blistering knock of 44 from 27 deliveries. However, the tide turned when Sophie Molineux produced a breathtaking over. The left-arm spinner first neutralized the danger by dismissing Shafali, then followed up by bowling out Jemimah Rodrigues and Alice Capsey in succession.
Smriti Mandhana maintained a firm grip on the match, using her spin bowlers to keep the pressure on and prevent DC from rebuilding. The collapse deepened in the 11th over when Shreyanka Patil took the vital wicket of Lanning for 23. From that point, the RCB spinners were unstoppable, tearing through the lineup and taking 10 wickets for a mere 49 runs. Shreyanka finished with an impressive four-wicket haul, supported by Sobhana Asha's two wickets.
During the chase, Mandhana and Sophie Devine played a cautious opening stand, accumulating 49 runs over 8 overs. The partnership ended when Shikha Pandey trapped Devine (32) LBW. Mandhana (31) and Ellyse Perry (35*) then added 33 runs to keep the momentum going. Ultimately, Richa Ghosh, finishing unbeaten on 17, struck the final runs to seal the victory in the last over.