WPL Final 2024 RCB vs DC: Royal Challengers beat Delhi Capitals by 8 wickets, lift maiden title

New Delhi, Mar 17: In a low-scoring encounter at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday (March 17), Royal Challengers Bangalore emerged victorious, defeating Delhi Capitals by 8 wickets to claim the WPL 2024 championship.

Chasing a modest target of 114, led by captain Smriti Mandhana, RCB successfully chased down the total in 19.3 overs, losing only two wickets along the way.

Batting first, Delhi Capitals made a blazing start in the high-stakes final, with skipper Meg Lanning and opening partner Shafali Verma dominating the RCB bowlers on what appeared to be a batsman-friendly pitch.

Verma and Lanning established an unbroken partnership of 64 runs within the initial seven overs, laying the groundwork for a substantial total in the final showdown. RCB's bowlers struggled to contain the onslaught from the DC openers, particularly Shafali Verma, who scored a rapid 44 off 26 balls, appearing destined for another impressive half-century.

However, the game took a dramatic turn during the strategic time-out at the end of the 7th over, as Sophie Molineux's spell in the 8th over changed the momentum. Verma was the first to fall, attempting a maximum over long-on but finding Georgia Wareham in the deep.

Jemimah Rodrigues and Alice Capsey followed suit, both bowled in similar fashion off successive deliveries, leaving Delhi reeling at 64 for three in 7.4 overs. From that point onwards, the game steadily shifted in favour of RCB, as Delhi's middle-order failed to recover from the early collapse.

Shreyanka Patil further compounded Delhi's woes, claiming impressive figures of 4/12 from 3.3 overs, helping RCB dismiss their opponents for a meagre 113 in 18.3 overs. With her four-wicket haul, Patil also secured the title of the tournament's leading wicket-taker with 13 scalps.

In response, Smriti Mandhana and Sophie Devine provided RCB with a solid start, stitching together a 49-run partnership for the first wicket. Though Devine departed for 32 off 27 balls, Mandhana and Ellyse Perry steadied the innings for RCB.

Mandhana fell for a well-made 31 off 39 balls, leaving RCB at 82 for 2 at the end of the 15th over. With 42 runs needed from the last six balls, Perry and Richa Ghosh guided RCB to victory, with Ghosh sealing the win with a boundary. Perry remained unbeaten on 37 and finished as the tournament's highest run-scorer with 347 runs.

Despite qualifying directly for the finals from the league stage, it was another runner-up finish for Delhi Capitals, continuing their streak of missed opportunities in the season.