Vadodara, Feb 5 (IANS) Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) clinched their second Women’s Premier League title after beating Delhi Capitals by six wickets at the BCA Stadium, Kotambi in Vadodara on Thursday. After captain Jemimah Rodrigues top-scored with 57 to take DC to 203/4, RCB completed the highest successful chase in a WPL final in 19.4 overs with immaculate ease.

The victory also made RCB the first team to win the title after finishing top of the group stage standings, and the first franchise to hold both IPL and WPL crowns simultaneously. Captain Smriti Mandhana produced her finest and classy WPL innings, scoring 87 off 41 balls, laced with 12 fours and three sixes.

She managed only six runs from her first five deliveries but accelerated spectacularly thereafter, striking boundaries almost every over. Her knock also made her the tournament’s leading run-scorer, as Smriti became the backbone of RCB’s dominating chase.

Smriti shared a decisive 165-run partnership off 92 balls with Georgia Voll, who made a sublime 79 off 54 balls, studded with 14 boundaries. Every over of the chase featured at least one boundary, a statistic that underlined the dominance of their batting effort.

Despite a little wobble at the end, thanks to DC bowling pace-off deliveries, Radha Yadav ensured RCB crossed the line with successive boundaries and triggered celebratory scenes in the dugout. DC, playing their fourth consecutive final, were at the receiving end of the Smriti-Georgia masterclass, sending the ball to all parts of the park and suffering yet another painful defeat, despite posting the highest first innings total in a WPL final.

Chasing 204, Grace Harris hit two early boundaries off a drive and inside edge against Marizanne Kapp in the opening over, before being beaten by movement and low bounce from Chinelle Henry to be castled through the gate for nine. Smriti got going with a stylish off-drive for four, while Georgia opened her account with a flick and drive off Marizanne, fetching her boundaries.

Georgia continued her strokeplay by flicking Chinelle through midwicket and scooping over short fine leg for boundaries, before cutting and driving Marizanne for back-to-back fours. Despite Nandni Sharma’s introduction, there was no respite for DC as Georgia swiped her for four, before Smriti slogged and swept her for two boundaries.

The duo took a boundary each off N Sree Charani – Georgia, hitting her over mid-off, while Smriti pierced off-side field with precision, before the former and latter took a four off Minnu Mani and Shafali Verma respectively.

Smriti pulled a short ball from Nandni over square leg for six, before dancing down the pitch to loft Charani over long-on. After Georgia raised her fifty, Smriti brought up her half-century by lofting Sneh Rana over extra cover for four. It also helped that DC fed them the lengths RCB needed – Georgia cutting and pulling Sneh Rana for fours.

Chinelle returned to be greeted with a sweep from Smriti that cleared backward square leg, before Georgia’s powerful pull beat the deep fielder to get another boundary. Charani’s return in the 13th over saw Smriti pull and punch off the back foot to get fours, while Georgia got low to pull for the third boundary in the over.

Marizanne’s reintroduction in the 14th over was met with lofted drives from Smriti going straight down the ground and over mid-off. After Georgia hoicked Nandni over midwicket and Smriti again danced down the pitch to loft Minnu over mid-off to get more boundaries, RCB were cruising in the chase.

Though Georgia and Richa Ghosh fell in quick succession after holing out to long-on off Minnu and Nandni respectively, Smriti’s dismissal for 87 after Chinelle uprooted her leg-stump left RCB on a tricky pitch. But Radha’s consecutive boundaries off Charani – lofting over cover-point and crunching over cover – sealed the trophy win in RCB’s favour.

Previously, after Lizelle Lee and Shafali Verma provided the early momentum, Jemimah took charge with a sparkling knock, showcasing her sublime timing and ability to pick gaps with awe-inspiring ease to get eight boundaries.

Laura Wolvaardt chipped in with a useful 44 off 25 balls, while Chinelle Henry played a blistering cameo of 35 off just 15 balls to power Delhi past the 200-run mark. Such was the effect of Chinelle’s finishing touch that DC plundered 55 runs in the last four overs.

For RCB, Lauren Bell was the lone bright spot with the ball with her spell of 0-19 in four overs, but the rest of the attack struggled with their lines and lengths, offering scoring opportunities almost every over. RCB staged a brief comeback after Jemimah’s dismissal in the 16th over, but Chinelle’s late fireworks dashed their hopes.

DC began by making only nine runs in the first three overs before Lizelle broke free by walloping Sayali Satghare for two sixes and set the tone for what turned out to be one of their most complete batting performances in the competition. Shafali opened up by striking successive boundaries off Arundhati Reddy before perishing to a sharp catch by Richa Ghosh for 20.

But Lizelle continued to attack, hammering Shreyanka Patil for three fours and a six in the seventh over, but Nadine de Klerk provided the breakthrough by removing her for 37 – miscuing slog to long-on. Jemimah came in and was fluent against both pace and spin from the get-go, striking boundaries through cover, extra cover, and point. With Laura settling in, the pair kept the scoreboard ticking.

The 12th over proved to be pivotal, as Jemimah showcased her full range – cover-driving, sweeping, and cutting Shreyanka for three boundaries, before slicing fiercely off Radha Yadav. Jemimah soon reached her half-century in the 15th over, before falling for 57, as she was caught by deep square leg off Sayali Satghare.

But Laura and Chinelle unleashed a brutal assault in the death overs. Chinelle, in particular, tore into Nadine de Klerk in the 18th over, smashing four boundaries and a six to collect 24 runs. The duo took a boundary each off Sayali in the final over, yielding 15 runs, before Laura was run out while attempting a desperate second run, as DC put RCB on the path of a daunting chase, which they completed in a dominating fashion.

Brief Scores: Delhi Capitals 203/4 in 20 overs (Jemimah Rodrigues 57, Laura Wolvaardt 44; Arundhati Reddy 1-40, Sayali Satghare 1-46) lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru 204/4 in 19.4 overs (Smriti Mandhana 87, Georgia Voll 79; Chinelle Henry 2-34, Minnu Mani 1-19) by six wickets

--IANS

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