By defeating Delhi Capitals by eight wickets at the bustling Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on March 17th, Royal Challengers Bangalore secured their first championship trophy in the Women’s Premier League.
In the first innings of the summit clash, Delhi Capitals collapsed like ninepins after what looked like a promising start. Despite initially appearing to set a formidable total, Delhi imploded and were bowled out for just 118 runs in 18.3 overs.
In pursuit of the modest target, RCB started on a cautious note, refraining from going for expansive shots in the first six overs. Their score after the power play was 25-0, with Smriti Mandhana and Sophie Devine at the crease.
Devine accelerated the scoring rate by smashing 18 runs off the seventh over delivered by Radha Yadav. Fan-favourite Ellyse Perry and Richa Ghosh then joined forces to make sure that RCB chased down the target comfortably to end the franchise’s title drought.
Despite being studded with stars the men’s team hasn’t been able to cross the finish line in the last 16 years of the IPL. They came close to winning thrice, reaching the IPL final on three different instances – 2009, 2011 and 2016 – only to return empty-handed.
To appreciate the elusive triumph, Virat Kohli and his troops lined up to give the women’s team a rousing welcome during the RCB unbox event. In only their second attempt, RCB answered the yearning of thousands of Bengaluru fans by clinching the silverware.
𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙎𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙈𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩! 👏 👏
That’s how the Royal Challengers Bangalore sealed a memorable win to emerge the #TATAWPL 2024 Champions! 🏆
Scorecard ▶️https://t.co/g011cfzcFp#DCvRCB | #Final | @RCBTweets pic.twitter.com/ghlo7YVvwW
— Women’s Premier League (WPL) (@wplt20) March 17, 2024
