VADODARA: Skipper Smriti Mandhana led from the front with a sensational 41-ball 87 as Royal Challengers Bengaluru defeated Delhi Capitals in the summit clash by six wickets to win their second Women’s Premier League title. For DC, the agonising wait continued as they suffered yet another heartbreak, losing in the final for the fourth successive time.
From the moment they walked in, Mandhana knew she had a mammoth task in front of her. A target of 204 in a summit clash is never easy. However, there were signs. RCB had won the toss and put DC in. Though Jemimah Rodrigues led from the front with a half-century, with dew coming in, the target was never out of reach. And Mandhana made sure of that despite losing Grace Harris early.
In such a high pressure situation, she turned to her lap shots went over the head of the keeper to find valuable runs. Along with Georgia Voll (79), Mandhana put on a massive 165-run stand, setting up their chase. The road to this point, however, began at the auction table where RCB put together a strong Indian core while adding some valuable overseas additions including Nadine de Klerk, who has been a match-winner through the season. So much so that even Ellyse Perry’s absence did not have an impact as RCB kicked off a dominant run, qualifying for the final.
Come the big day, despite the big total that was in front of them they stepped up with the bat to put on a clincial performance and win the trophy again.
Brief scores: DC 203/4 in 20 ovs (Jemimah 57, Wolvaardt 44, Henry 35 n.o) lost to RCB 204/4 in 19.4 ovs (Mandhana 87, Voll 79).