Resistance & Belief: How RCB triumphed over DC in the WPL 2024 final

This will be the second time that the Royal Challengers Bengaluru will be colliding with the Delhi Capitals in the grand final of WPL. The last time this happened was way back in 2024 where RCB trumped Delhi to clinch their maiden WPL crown. Ahead of tomorrow’s grand finale, here’s a quick recapitulation of how RCB vanquished the Capitals to etch their name in the history books.

Winning the toss in Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi Capitals opted to bat first. Meg Lanning (23) and Shafali Verma (44) got them to a fiery start. The duo added 64 runs in the first 43 balls and RCB needed some doing to draw first blood. It was Sophie Molineux who eventually broke the stand, claiming the crucial scalp of Verma.

The departure of Shafali led to an unprecedented collapse as Delhi lost their entire side in a span of 52 runs. Jemimah Rodrigues (0), Alice Capsey (0), Meg Lanning, Marizanne Kapp (8), Jess Jonassen (3) and Minnu Mani (5) were gone in no time. Current RCB players, Arundhati Reddy (10) and Radha Yadav (12) were the only ones who fought to push Delhi to a respectable total of 113.

Shreyanka Patil claimed figures of 4/12 to lead the charge while Sophie Molineux’s early assault left Delhi crumbling like a house of cards. With a modest total to chase and the surface having signs of trickery all along, RCB got off to a watchful start.

However, the chains were off in no time as Smriti Mandhana (31), Sophie Devine (32) and Ellyse Perry (35*) got the job done for the Royal Challengers without breaking a sweat. They took their own sweet time and eventually arrived at the finish line with three balls and seven wickets to spare. Molineux was the Player of the Match for her impactful performance with the ball.