Smriti Mandhana led Royal Challengers Bangalore to a historic victory in the women’s Premier League today, defeating the Delhi Capitals by six wickets in Vadodara, Gujarat.The win marks RCB’s second WPL title and a first for a team that finished atop the league standings. For Delhi, the loss continues a frustrating championship drought, marking their fourth consecutive appearance in-and defeat in-the WPL final. This match concluded the 2026 season of the league.
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Smriti Mandhana’s Royal Challengers Bangalore have been crowned Women’s Premier League champions, defeating the Delhi Capitals by six wickets.
Delhi Capitals’ agonizing wait for a title continues, falling in the final for the fourth consecutive time. Royal Challengers Bangalore secured their second WPL championship on Thursday, defeating Delhi by six wickets in a thrilling contest at Vadodara.
Delhi appeared poised to control the match early on, fueled by a dynamic performance from Jemimah Rodrigues. Rodrigues blasted 57 runs off 37 balls, anchoring Delhi to a formidable total of 203/4. Solid contributions from Laura Wolvaardt (44 runs off 25 balls) and Liseelle Lee (37 runs off 30 balls) laid a strong foundation, while a late surge of 35 runs off just 15 balls from Chinelle Henry propelled the team’s score even higher.
Despite a strong start from Bangalore’s bowlers, the partnership between Lee and Rodrigues shifted the momentum, making 203 a challenging target.
Bangalore, however, had other plans. They suffered an early setback with the loss of Grace Harris, but Smriti Mandhana and Georgia Wareham quickly took control. The duo relentlessly attacked the Delhi bowlers, including Henry, Kapp, Rana, and Nandini.
At the halfway mark, Bangalore were comfortably positioned at 100/1, and Mandhana surpassed Harmanpreet Kaur to claim the ‘Orange Cap’ as the tournament’s leading run-scorer. By the 15th over, Bangalore had reached 161/1, building what appeared to be a record-breaking partnership.
The match took a dramatic turn in the final stages. Minnu Mani dismissed Georgia Wareham, and Nandini Sharma quickly removed Richa Ghosh. With 12 balls remaining, Delhi needed just 24 runs, and the dismissal of Mandhana on the cusp of a century reignited their hopes.
With 10 runs needed to win off the final over, Radha Yadav and Nadine de Klerk were at the crease. Yadav quickly delivered, smashing back-to-back boundaries to seal the victory for Bangalore.
The win makes RCB the first team to finish as table toppers and then lift the trophy. Smriti Mandhana also became only the second captain to win the WPL title twice. For Delhi, it’s a fourth final appearance and a fourth heartbreaking defeat.
Vadodara,Vadodara,Gujarat
