In the final of the Women’s Premier League (WPL), Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) secured their first championship trophy by defeating Delhi Capitals (DC) with an eight-wicket victory at the bustling Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on March 17th (Sunday).
In the first innings, Delhi Capitals collapsed like ninepins during the Grand Finale, after what looked like a promising start. Despite initially appearing to set a formidable total, Delhi capitulated and were bowled out for just 118 runs in 18.3 overs.
After winning the toss, Meg Lanning elected to bat first against Smriti Mandhana’s RCB. Lanning and Shafali Verma took charge at the crease for Delhi Capitals, getting DC’s innings off to a blazing start as they reached 61-0 after 6 overs.
Shafali Verma launched a relentless assault, driving DC’s score past the 50-run mark in no time. She took on Renuka Thakur, dispatching her for a six in the fourth over, and with Lanning’s partnership, DC amassed 19 runs from that particular over bowled by Thakur. Shafali showed no mercy, even against RCB’s standout bowler, Ellyse Perry, who had previously delivered an excellent over, conceding just three runs. Shafali struck Perry for 11 runs, including a six and a boundary, in the fifth over.
Sophie Molineux Derails Delhi Capitals’ Innings
Delhi Capitals appeared to be in total control until the 8th over when Sophie Molineux made a significant impact by taking three wickets in the same over, putting the high-flying DC in a challenging position.
Molineux first dismissed Shafali Verma and then proceeded to dismiss Jemimah Rodrigues and Alice Capsey on consecutive deliveries.
Following this setback, Delhi Capitals struggled to recover as they continued to lose wickets due to poor shot selection from their players. RCB’s Shreyanka Patil and Sophie Molineux were instrumental in this, accounting for seven of DC’s wickets.
In response to Delhi’s 118, RCB started cautiously, refraining from going for big shots in the first six overs. Their score after the power play was 25-0, with Smriti Mandhana and Sophie Devine at the crease.
Sophie Devine accelerated the scoring rate by smashing 18 runs off the seventh over delivered by Radha Yadav. However, Devine’s innings came to an end shortly thereafter, but not before ensuring that RCB were well positioned to clinch their maiden WPL title. Mandhana, too, fell trying to go big in the process. However, fan-favourite Ellyse Perry and Richa Ghosh made sure that RCB chased down the target comfortably.
