The long, arduous wait for the maiden trophy in the franchise's history came to an end on Sunday, as Royal Challengers Bangalore thumped Delhi Capitals by eight wickets, to clinch the Women's Premier League 2024. Led by Smriti Mandhana, the Royal Challengers hardly skipped a beat the entire season, and when the time came, they stepped up the game to conquer the finishing.
In a team full of stars, it was the 21-year-old Shreyanka Patil who broke the Capitals' back with her sensational spell, culminating in four crucial wickets that restricted them to 113. Chasing 115 was never going to be a problem for Bangalore, whose top-order had the necessary amount of control and fireworks. Mandhana and Sophie Devine set the tone in the Powerplay, before Ellyse Perry came out and decided to have some fun. The target was duly achieved with three balls to spare.
"It hasn't still sunk in, and it's hard for me to come out with expressions," says Mandhana. One thing I'll say is I'm proud of the bunch. Our Bangalore leg was really good. We came to Delhi and had two tough losses. That's what we spoke about that we need to step up at the right time. These tournaments are about peaking at the right time."
RCB Gets Rs 6 Crore As Prize Money
Royal Challengers Bangalore will take Rs 6 crore home for winning the second edition of the Women's Premier League. The prize money for WPL is significantly less than IPL, where the runners-up receive more than double of RCB got for winning the WPL. Last year, Chennai Super Kings received Rs 20 crore for clinching the IPL title.
How Much Did Orange Cap Winner Get?
Ellyse Perry's sedate knock of unbeaten 35 not only helped RCB in the pursuit of their maiden WPL, but also led her to earn the Orange Cap, as she eclipsed her compatriot and Delhi Capitals skipper Meg Lanning. Perry was rewarded with Rs 5 lakh for winning Orange Cap.
Shreyanka Patil Gets Purple Cap
The youngster claimed a four-for in the final to easily outpace the other contenders for the Purple Cap. Patil too received a cheque of Rs 5 lakh for her consistent bowling across the tournament.
