Former Indian captain Virat Kohli has responded to Royal Challengers Bangalore's victory in the Women's Premier League (WPL) 2024 after defeating Delhi Capitals by 8 wickets.
Kohli, who has never clinched an Indian Premier League (IPL) title with RCB in 16 years despite reaching three finals, took to Instagram to share his support for RCB women, captioning his post 'Superwomen'.
In pursuit of 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 strong start in the high-stakes final, with skipper Meg Lanning and opening partner Shafali Verma dominating the RCB bowlers.
Verma and Lanning formed an unbroken partnership of 64 runs within the initial seven overs, setting the stage for a substantial total in the final showdown.
RCB's bowlers found it challenging to contain the onslaught from the DC openers, especially Shafali Verma, who scored a brisk 44 off 26 balls, looking set 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 altered the momentum. Verma was the first to depart, attempting a maximum over long-on but finding Georgia Wareham in the deep.
Jemimah Rodrigues and Alice Capsey followed suit, both dismissed in similar fashion off successive deliveries, leaving Delhi reeling at 64 for three in 7.4 overs. From that point onward, the game steadily swung in favour of RCB, as Delhi's middle-order struggled to recover from the early collapse.
Shreyanka Patil compounded Delhi's troubles, claiming impressive figures of 4/12 from 3.3 overs, aiding RCB in dismissing their opponents for a mere 113 in 18.3 overs. With her four-wicket haul, Patil also clinched the title of the tournament's leading wicket-taker with 13 scalps.
In reply, Smriti Mandhana and Sophie Devine provided RCB with a solid start, forging 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 was dismissed for a well-made 31 off 39 balls, leaving RCB at 82 for 2 at the end of the 15th over. With 42 runs required from the final 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.
- Virat Kohli
