3 weeks of pulsating cricketing action gave us a new winner for the WPL 2024 title. Smriti Mandhana’s Royal Challengers Bangalore emerged supreme against the Meg Lanning led Delhi Capitals on Sunday night.
It was DC who won the toss and elected to bat first. The opening pair came out all guns blazing as Shefali Verma (44 off 27) saw the cricket ball as a football, hitting as long as she could. The opening batter smashed 3 long sixes and hit two fours. Alongside her was the DC skipper Meg Lanning (23 off 23) who couldn’t capitalise much.
The Delhi Capitals were cruising along very well until the powerplay was done. In came RCB’s spin bowler, Sophie Molineux & boy did she spin the game in RCB’s favour. Sophie Molineux led the charge with her squeeze as she went on dismissing Shefali Verma (44 off 27) first. Molineux didn’t even give Jemimah Rodrigues & Alice Capsey a chance to open their account as both were dismissed for ducks.
Shreyanka Patil with her 4 wickets for just 12 runs added the fuel to the fire by picking up the Meg Lanning for a run a ball 23. Shreyanka Patil has come back stronger in this tournament. With just 1 wicket in her first 4 games, she now has 13 wickets in her bag and the purple cap on her head.
The absorbing of pressure from the DC players didn’t arrive after the departure of Alice Capsey. DC before & after the power play looked like 2 different teams. The team had a shocker of a batting performance. Every RCB bowler was hitting the stumps but the DC batters were going out of the line. RCB sent DC back to the sheds for just 113 with no major contributions from the Delhi Capitals’ middle & lower order.
RCB had a slow but solid start. Opening batter Smriti Mandhana realising the importance of her wicket played patiently producing a 39 ball 31 runs knock. Mandhana didn’t take any unnecessary risk. On the other hand Sophie Devine charged in with 5 boundaries and a six. RCB didn’t lose a single wicket in the power play.
In the eight over of the second innings, it was Shikha Pandey who was handed the ball and she lived up to the expectations of the Delhi Capitals by trapping Sophie Divine (32 off 27) lbw. Ellyse Perry (35 off 37), who had lit up the WPL 2024 with her brilliant performances came into the middle & steered the ship with her calm innings. Boundaries in the middle overs by Perry settled the deal for RCB. Later, Smriti Mandhana had to depart, falling prey to a delivery by Minnu Mani. She was caught by Arundhati Reddy. Richa Ghosh came in and exploded with her 17 off 14 balls.
In the 19.3rd over, Richa Ghosh sealed the deal as she sent a delivery by Arundhati Reddy towards the boundary and the celebrations began in the RCB dugout. A convincing and a very well calculated run chase was dominated right from the start by RCB. On the other hand DC couldn’t give much as only Shikha & Minnu could take wickets. With 113 to defend. DC was skidding on thin ice. Never had RCB defeated DC before but they did it the other night. The 1st person to step on the moon was a man. The 1st person to invent electricity was a man. But the 1st person to lift the trophy for RCB is a woman, Smriti Mandhana. The drought finally ended after 17 long years.
The women in red well and truly played bold.
The Sportz Planet Desk,
Atharva Shetye.
