The ongoing phrase, “Ee Sala Cup Namde,” which means “this year the cup is ours,” and its associated mockery came to an end when RCB achieved their long-awaited goal of winning the WPL and became only the second team to do so in the competition’s history.
The Women’s Premier League (WPL) Season 2 champion Royal Challengers Bangalore was congratulated on Sunday by Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah. He also expressed his “heartfelt” gratitude to everyone who contributed to the season’s continued success.
Shah hailed the tournament as a spectacular celebration of women’s cricket and acknowledged the overseas players for showcasing their brilliance, while also applauding Smriti Mandhana for leading the charge as she contributed with her bat and displayed “exceptional captaincy” in “steering RCB to a well-deserved title”. “Wow, what a magnificent celebration of cricket for women! Jay Shah wrote on X, the former Twitter platform, “This tournament has truly been a testament to the growing prowess of women’s cricket in India, from outstanding performances to electrifying crowd support.”
Ellyse Perry displayed composure with an unbeaten 35, and spinners Shreyanka Patil, Sophie Molineux, and Asha Sobhana combined for nine wickets to help Royal Challengers Bangalore win the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2024 title with an eight-wicket win over Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium here on Sunday.
With the ball, Shreyanka proved to be the hero, taking 4-12 to take the lead in wickets for the tournament. Meanwhile, Asha claimed 2 wickets and Sophie struck 3 strikes to ensure that DC was bowled out for 113 in 18.3 overs, having earlier been 64/0. Ellyse, the competition’s top run scorer, persevered through to the very end of the chase, finishing it in 19.3 overs.
Smriti Mandhana and Sophie Devine took their time, scoring 25 runs in Power-play, including three boundaries between them off Marizanne Kapp, despite the chase being only 114. In the seventh over, Sophie swept off Radha Yadav twice before dancing down the field to hit the left-arm spinner for a six, giving RCB the momentum they had been waiting for in the 18-run over. However, she was trapped leg before wicket (LBW) after playing all around Shikha Pandey’s nip-backer at number 32 in the ninth over.
Even though RCB’s runs dried up, Smriti and Ellyse managed the chase by being patient and keeping an eye out for an opportunity to raise the stakes. Ellyse gave them a chance when she pulled Arundhati Reddy for a boundary, and in the 13th over, Smriti perfectly timed a drive past the backward point for another four. Then, Ellyse lofted Jess Jonassen over mid-off for four, but Minnu Mani claimed Smriti after Minnu Mani was beaten in flight and holed out to mid-on. Before Richa Ghosh cut Minnu through point for four, Ellyse and she briefly switched places with their strikes.
To move the RCB closer to victory, Ellyse first pulled Jess through mid-wicket for four, and then she swept Alice Capsey past fine leg for another boundary. When Richa lofted Arundhati over mid-off for four, she effectively sealed the deal for RCB and ignited wild celebrations throughout the Bengaluru city and camp as they won the WPL 2024 trophy.
Virendra Sehwag, a former opener for India, commended the RCB team for their poise under pressure. “RCB deserves much congratulations for winning the WPL. Excellent temperament demonstrated in stressful situations and worthy winners. #WPLFinal,” Sehwag uttered.
“We extend our sincere congratulations to the RCB Women’s Team on their WPL victory. If the long-overdue RCB Men’s Team were to win the IPL, it would be an incredible double. Good Luck,” Mallya wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
Thousands of fans of the team praised the players on social media as Kohli and Chahal, who spoke with RCB Women captain Smriti Mandhana via video call, referred to the team’s female players as “Superwomen“.
The Kannada post that Chahal made on X said, “Ananda, Paramananda, Paramananda.” We are so proud of our RCB team.
Lastly, Smriti Mandhana told to Jay Shah, “Thank you sir, big thanks to BCCI for their support and everyone involved in WPL Season 2!” on X, formerly Twitter.
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