WPL 2024 Final: Smriti Mandhana deserves a statue at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) skipper has achieved something that Virat Kohli, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble, Faf du Plessis, and Daniel Vettori haven’t: winning a trophy.
While it will be Mandhana who will be credited for the title run, the praise needs to go to Elysse Perry, Sophie Molineux, Asha Shobana, and Shreyanka Patil.
Molineux, Shobana & Shreyanka spin a web around DC
It all started with Sophie Molineux, who had Shafali Verma caught at deep mid-wicket for a well-made 44 from 27 balls. In the next three balls, she cleaned bowled in the form Jemimah Rodrigues and sent their star all-rounder Alice Capsey back to the hut. Down in the dump to on top in just 4 balls.
However, Shreyanka Patil decided to one-up Molineux. The off-spinner claimed a 4-wicket haul and finished the inning as the highest wicket-taker in the WPL 2024 season. It was then the Eliminator’s last over hero, Asha Sobhana’s, turn. The leggie claimed the prized wickets of all-rounders Jess Jonassen and Marizanne Kapp and ensured the Delhi Capitals middle order didn’t fight back in the WPL 2024 Final.
Lanning & Shafali gone; WPL 2024 Final over!
Once the Delhi Capitals openers, Shafali Verma and Meg Lanning, went after stitching a valuable 64-run stand, the floodgates opened. Their two highest-run scorers had made sure they reached the final comfortably. They gave their teams a start once again, but their middle-order failed to stand up.
The next best score after Shafali’s 44 and Lanning’s 23 was 12 by Radha Yadav. Their number 3 to 6 batters combined scored 11 runs. Their in-form batters, Jemimah and Capsey, both departed without scoring, and the Capitals found themselves where they hadn’t been before.
DC lost their last 10 wickets for just 49 runs and failed to bat their full quota of 20 overs, getting all out in 18.3 overs.