Royal Challengers Bengaluru delivered a final for the ages on Thursday night, chasing down a daunting 204 with calm authority to beat Delhi Capitals by six wickets and lift their second Women’s Premier League trophy at the BCA Stadium in Kotambi, Vadodara.
What looked like a pressure-filled chase quickly turned into a statement. Smriti Mandhana and Georgia Voll batted like they were on a different pitch altogether, smashing boundaries at will and making the highest successful chase in a WPL final look almost routine.
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Smriti sets the tone early
If this was a title decider, Smriti didn’t play it like one.
The RCB skipper began quietly, scoring just six from her first five balls, but once she found her timing, the game shifted. Drives through cover, pulls over square leg, lofts straight down the ground — everything came off the middle.
She raced to 87 off just 41 balls, hitting 12 fours and three sixes. It wasn’t just stylish; it was ruthless. With this knock, Smriti also finished as the tournament’s leading run-scorer, underlining her consistency all season.
Every time Delhi looked for a breakthrough, Smriti answered with a boundary.
Georgia Voll’s perfect support act
While Smriti grabbed the spotlight, Georgia Voll quietly built the chase brick by brick.
The Australian youngster played the ideal partner’s role, scoring a classy 79 off 54 balls with 14 boundaries. She rotated strike smartly and punished anything loose.
Together, the duo stitched a match-defining 165-run stand off just 92 balls. That partnership effectively broke DC’s back.
A boundary came almost every over. The required rate never spiralled. For long stretches, it felt like a well-paced league game, not a high-stakes final.
Late wobble, Radha seals it
There was a brief flutter when Voll and Richa Ghosh fell in quick succession, followed by Smriti’s dismissal for 87.
Suddenly, the door cracked open for Delhi.
But Radha Yadav shut it quickly. Two clean boundaries off N Sree Charani — one lofted over cover-point and another drilled through cover — finished the job with two balls to spare.
RCB dugout erupted. The chase was done in 19.4 overs.
Delhi’s 200-plus total goes in vain
Earlier, Delhi Capitals had done plenty right with the bat.
Jemimah Rodrigues looked in sublime touch, top-scoring with 57. Her timing through cover and point kept the scoreboard ticking. Laura Wolvaardt added a brisk 44, while Chinelle Henry’s explosive 35 off just 15 balls in the death overs pushed DC past the 200 mark.
The last four overs alone brought 55 runs, giving DC what felt like a match-winning total.
But on a night where RCB’s top order refused to blink, even 203/4 wasn’t enough.
For RCB, Lauren Bell was economical with a tight 0-19 spell, but most of the bowling unit struggled to contain runs.
Records and milestones
The win wasn’t just another trophy.
RCB became:
• The first team to win a WPL title after finishing top of the group stage
• The first franchise to hold both IPL and WPL crowns simultaneously
• The side to complete the highest successful chase in a WPL final
More importantly, they showed composure under pressure — something that had eluded them in earlier seasons.
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The bigger picture
For Delhi Capitals, it’s heartbreak again. Playing their fourth straight final and still searching for that elusive title, they did enough with the bat but couldn’t control RCB’s aggressive chase.
For Bengaluru, this feels like the start of a dynasty. A captain in peak form, young players stepping up, and a fearless batting mindset — it all came together when it mattered most.
On a warm Vadodara evening, RCB didn’t just win a final. They owned it.
Brief Scores:
Delhi Capitals 203/4 (Jemimah 57, Wolvaardt 44, Henry 35*)
Royal Challengers Bengaluru 204/4 in 19.4 overs (Smriti 87, Voll 79)
RCB won by six wickets
