Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) won the Women’s Premier League 2024 title with an 8th wicket victory over Delhi Capitals in the final in New Delhi on Sunday.
Batting first, DC were bowled out for 113 in 18.3 overs. 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.
With Shafali Verma (44 off 27 balls) going great guns, DC were cruising at 64 for no loss in 43 balls before they committed harakiri, losing 10 wickets for just 49 runs.
Spinners Shreyanka Patil (4/12) and Sophie Molineux (3/20) helped RCB stage a remarkable recovery after Shafali’s exploits at the top of the order.
Brief scores:
Delhi Capitals: 113 all out in 18.3 overs (Shafali Verma 44; Shreyanka Patil 4/12, Sophie Molineux 3/20)
Royal Challengers Bangalore: 115 for two in 19.3 overs (Smriti Mandhana 31, Sophie Devine 32, Ellyse Perry 35 not out).
The Royal Challengers Bangalore fans may now finally celebrate as the team has won a title after years of heartache. However, the women’s squad captained by Smriti Mandhana pulled off the impossible as RCB upset the Delhi Capitals by 8 wickets in the summit match on Sunday (March 17) at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. In the second season of the Women’s Premier League, Smriti Mandhana’s squad has accomplished something that the men’s team has not realized in 16 years of franchise cricket. Virat Kohli, the senior batter for India, congratulated the skipper of the women’s team via video chat without delay.
RCB got off to a slow start when chasing the modest 114-run goal, scoring just 25 runs in the opening six overs. The first breakthrough for Delhi came from Shikha Pandey, who trapped Sophie Devine in front of the wicket.