Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) defeated Delhi Capitals (DC) in the final to win the second edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL), ending the franchise’s 16-year quest for a Premier League championship.
In what turned out to be a low-scoring game, Royal Challengers Bangalore won in the last over of the second essay, as a new team lifted the tournament’s crown. DC performed admirably in their bid to protect the total, but the RCB bats eventually prevailed.
Meg Lanning guided Delhi to their second consecutive final, but was left in tears as Royal Challengers Bangalore stole a victory to claim the trophy. DC began the first innings brightly, but a disastrous collapse reduced them to 113 all out from 64/0. While hitting felt difficult in the second innings, RCB hitters maintained their calm to overcome all difficulties and reach the finish line.
The cricket fraternity was left in amazement as game luminaries and analysts praised Royal Challengers Bangalore for writing history in the franchise’s 17-year tenure.
Here are some of the leading reactions:
Smriti Mandhana Guides RCB to First-Ever WPL Trophy Victory
The Delhi Capitals were disappointed in the WPL finals again in 2024, losing a closely contested match against Royal Challengers Bangalore.
After winning the toss and deciding to bat first, DC got off to a good start with Meg Lanning and Shafali Verma putting up a 64-run stand before the latter was bowled out in the eight over. Sophie Molineux was on fire, picking up three wickets in one over to cause DC’s batting collapse.
Molineux dismissed Verma on the first delivery of the eighth over, followed by a dot ball, then dismissing Jemimah Rodrigues and Alice Capsey for ducks with two deliveries each. Asha Sobhana then removed the threatening middle-order batsmen, Marizanne Kapp and Jess Jonassen, to put further pressure on DC.
What followed was overwhelming dominance from all-rounder Shreyanka Patil, who took four wickets to end DC’s innings. The Royal Challengers Bangalore spinners created havoc, bowling DC out for 113 runs in 18.3 overs.
Coming out to pursue, Smriti Mandhana and Sophie Devine played wonderfully, rotating the attack and finding gaps at regular intervals for boundaries. Shikha Pandey ended their 49-run partnership, but Mandhana and Ellyse Perry maintained the momentum for their team.
It was a fierce struggle as Lanning got the right bowlers at the appropriate moment in the game, putting Royal Challengers Bangalore under strain. The players performed admirably on the field, preserving numerous runs on the boundary ropes.
The equation came down to Royal Challengers Bangalore needing five to win from the last over. Arundhati Reddy did her best to keep Perry and Richa Ghosh in check, but the wicketkeeper-batsman found a space and concluded the chase in style with a boundary as Royal Challengers Bangalore won their first WPL championship.