A clinical Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) defeated Delhi Capitals (DC) by 8 wickets in the summit clash on Sunday night. RCB players starred with both bat and ball to thrash DC in front of their home crowd, clinching their maiden Women’s Premier League (WPL) title. RCB chased down the target of 114 with three balls to spare, much to the disappointment of the weekend crowd that turned out to support the home team. Earlier, Australian all-rounder Sophie Molineux bowled a dream over of three wickets which turned the match on its head, as DC could only muster 113 runs on a big final.

Batting first, DC had a great start with Meg Lanning and Shafali Verma making quick runs. Both added 64 runs in 7 overs, especially Shafali played an attacking knock of 27-ball 44. But Molineux’s dramatic over helped RCB stage a remarkable comeback. The left-arm spinner first removed the dangerous Shafali and then she bowled out Jemimah Rodrigues and Alice Capsey in consecutive deliveries.

RCB skipper Smriti Mandhana grabbed the momentum tightly and never allowed DC to get a hold of the game as she used her spinners to great effect. In the 11th over, Shreyanka Patil picked up the crucial wicket of DC captain Lanning (23). And from thereon, RCB spinners ran through the DC batting line-up and kept taking wickets. DC lost 10 wickets for just 49 runs. Shreyanka starred with a four-wicket haul while Sobhana Asha finished with two.

In reply, Mandhana and Sophie Devine gave RCB a slow and steady start, adding 49 runs in 8 overs. Shikha Pandey broke the partnership by trapping Devine (32) in front of the stumps. Mandhana (31) and Ellyse Perry (35*) added 33 runs to keep RCB in the hunt. Richa Ghosh, who remained unbeaten on 17, hit the winning runs in the final over.