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They didn’t carry the baggage of a title drought for the men’s team, but for those excited fans who flocked to the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Sunday afternoon and those who stayed up at home to witness the victorious moment, it marked the end of 16 years of pain and disappointment. The Smriti Mandhana-led team defeated Delhi Capitals by eight wickets in the WPL 2024 final, in front of an enthusiastic sell-out, to clinch their first title both as a women’s team and for the franchise as a whole.
Once the spin combination of Shreyanka Patil (4/12) and Sophie Molineux (3/20) orchestrated a collapse of DC to 113, there could only have been one winner. The hosts had started on a stellar note with Shafali Verma and Meg Lanning stitching a 64-run opening stand, but Molineux’s triple wicket saw Delhi lose all their 10 wickets for just 49 runs.
In reply, the efforts of their talismanic captain Mandhana (31), Sophie Devine (32) and the stunning Ellyse Perry (35 not out) saw RCB conclude the chase with three balls to spare.
Following RCB’s first WPL title win, former Indian cricketers Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag praised the team. The former India captain tweeted: “Congratulations to the @RCBTweets women’s team for clinching the @wplt20 title. Women’s cricket is truly on the rise in India,” while Sehwag wrote, “Big congratulations to RCB for winning the WPL. Great temperament is shown in critical situations and deserving winners. #WPLFFinal.”
A generation of RCB fans have waited to see the franchise lift a title. The men’s team reached the final of the Indian Premier League (IPL) three times: 2009, 2011 and 2016. Virat Kohli, former captain of the team, was part of those three finals, the last one as captain.
On Sunday, Kohli was elated by the women’s team’s victory and joined the celebrations at the stadium via video call before posting a one-word story on Instagram. He said, “Superwomen.”
Here are the reactions of other former and current RCB players…
Mandhana and Co.’s win in the WPL in just their second attempt will now put pressure on the RCB men’s team with the 2024 IPL season starting next week. RCB will play the first home match of the season in Bengaluru against defending champions Chennai Super Kings on March 22.
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