RCB seize WPL 2026 crown in thrilling finale

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru scripted history in Vadodara as they held their nerves in a tightly-contested thriller to lift their second WPL title, leaving Delhi Capitals stranded for a fourth consecutive time. In what was a high-scoring banger, RCB rode high on Smriti Mandhana and Georgia Voll’s combined brilliance to inch closer to the finish line.

Both the teams went into the clash with an unchanged XI from their last fixtures. Smriti won the toss and opted to bowl first. Lauren Bell kept things under check with her clinical discipline but at the other end, RCB failed to find their rhythm.

Shafali Verma (20) and Lizelle Lee (37) got DC to a roaring start, adding 49 runs for the first wicket. It was Arundhati Reddy who drew first blood for RCB, getting the better of Verma. However, Delhi were not willing to take a backseat despite the departure of Verma.

An incoming Laura Wolvaardt (44) saw them hitting the right chord of momentum until Nadine de Klerk removed Lizelle. Despite the fall of the openers, Delhi had their clarity in place. Their captain, Jemimah Rodrigues looked in total control, putting into motion another solid partnership.

Rodrigues (57) and Wolvaardt added 66 runs for the third wicket as the Capitals motored on with the gears in motion constantly. Sayali Satghare broke the partnership between Jemi and Wolvaardt, offering a glimpse of hope for RCB to finish strong. But the hopes went up in smoke as Chinelle Henry walked in and peppered the Royal Challengers into all nooks and crannies of the park.

Henry hammered an unbeaten 35 off just 15 balls as DC posted 203/4. Lauren Bell was the pick of the lot, registering figures of 0/19 from four overs, conceding only at a rate of 4.75 wherein all the other bowlers went for at least nine runs an over.

With a massive target of 204 runs on the board, RCB needed a headstart and all eyes were on Grace Harris to make the most in the powerplay. Harris did smack a couple of boundaries to nick nine runs from Marizanne Kapp’s first over but her joys were shortlived as Chinelle Henry razed through her defences, driving a thunderbolt through the hearts of the RCB fans.

However, RCB were out in the center with an objective to double up their crown tally. And that meant that they were willing to look their counterparts in the eye. Georgia Voll came up blasting on all cylinders as Smriti Mandhana scaled the surface from the other end.

Soon after the first couple of overs, RCB started shifting gears with Voll taking up charge. Mandhana joined in on the fun in short succession and DC was staring down the barrel amidst the growing pressure from the Royal Challengers.

Voll completed her half-century in just 37 balls, as she eased Sree Charani down the ground for a single in the 11th over. Smriti completed her fifty from just 23 balls, hammering the Delhi bowlers mercilessly. It didn’t matter whom they were up against. Smriti and Georgia went all guns blazing against everyone, ranging from Marizanne Kapp to Chinelle Henry.

Mandhana and Voll registered the highest partnership in the glistening antiquity of WPL, leapfrogging that of Meg Lanning and Shafali Verma’s 162 which came against RCB. Voll finally fell for 79 off 54 against Minnu Mani as RCB could sniff out the finish line.

Much to RCB’s shock however, they lost Richa Ghosh (6) in the next over, spicing up matters. But Smriti stayed calm in the end and regulated the charge a bit further before Henry struck for the second time in the game. Mandhana was bowled around the legs, finally falling for 87 off just 41 balls, rattling 12 fours and three sixes.

With 13 runs needed to win from eight balls when Radha Yadav walked out to bat, DC actually had a very good chance of restoring themselves back in the game. The final over was handed over to Sree Charani and the gamble was on. RCB could only manage two runs from the first two balls, bringing the equation down to 8 off 4.

As the pressure kept on rising, Radha Yadav went for a lofted drive on the off and reduced the deficit to four runs. The drama kissed the stratosphere as Radha smacked Charani for another boundary but the bails lit up. However, the umpires met and eventually deemed that Radha was safe as the bails didn’t fall which simply meant that RCB pulled off a historic chase to secure their second WPL title.

Smriti Mandhana finished with the Orange Cap for her tally of 377 runs while Nadine de Klerk finished one wicket shy of the Purple Cap as her tally read 16 scalps. Mandhana was the Player of the Match in the final while Sophie Devine won the Player of the Series award for her scintillating all-round performance.