In the Women's Premier League (WPL) 2024 final at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on March 17 (Sunday), Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) dominated Delhi Capitals (DC), securing victory by eight wickets.This victory represents a monumental milestone for Smriti Mandhana and her team as it marks the Bangalore-based franchise's inaugural title win in both the Women's Premier League and the Indian Premier League (IPL).
After losing the toss, RCB were tasked with bowling first. Despite DC's strong start, reaching 64/0 by the end of seven overs, the momentum shifted dramatically when left-arm spinner Sophie Molineux claimed three crucial wickets in the eighth over.
Following the setback, DC struggled to recover and were eventually dismissed for 113 runs in 18.3 overs. Shreyanka Patil impressed with figures of 4/12 from 3.3 overs.
In the chase, cautious RCB reached the target in 19.3 overs. Captain Mandhana contributed 31 runs, Sophie Devine scored 32 and fan-favourite Ellyse Perry remained unbeaten with 35*. Richa Ghosh also played a vital role, adding 17* runs and hitting the winning runs for her team.
Let's look at the list of highest run-scorers and wicket-takers at WPL 2024:
Most Runs In WPL 2024
1. Ellyse Perry: 9 matches, 9 innings, 347 runs, Avg: 69.40, SR: 125.72, 4s: 41, 6s: 7
2. Meg Lanning: 9 matches, 9 innings, 331 runs, Avg: 36.78, SR: 123.05, 4s: 47, 6s: 4
3. Shafali Verma: 9 matches, 9 innings, 309 runs, Avg: 38.62, SR: 156.85, 4s: 27, 6s: 20
4. Smriti Mandhana: 10 matches, 10 innings, 300 runs, Avg: 30.00, SR: 133.93, 4s: 40, 6s: 10
5. Deepti Sharma: 8 matches, 8 innings, 295 runs, Avg: 98.33, SR: 136.57, 4s: 34, 6s: 8
In addition to securing the WPL 2024 title, Royal Challengers Bangalore also achieved individual accolades. Ellyse Perry earned the Orange Cap for scoring the highest number of runs in the tournament, while the emerging off-spinner Shreyanka claimed the Purple Cap for taking the most wickets.
Most Wickets In WPL 2024
1. Shreyanka Patil: 8 matches, 21.3 overs, 129 balls, 13 wickets, Avg: 12.08, Runs: 157, 4-fers: 2
2. Asha Sobhana: 10 matches, 26.0 overs, 156 balls, 12 wickets, Avg: 15.42, Runs: 185, 5-fers: 1
3. Sophie Molineux: 10 matches, 38.0 overs, 228 balls, 12 wickets, Avg: 23.17, Runs: 278
4. Marizanne Kapp: 7 matches, 28.0 overs, 168 balls, 11 wickets, Avg: 16.00, Runs: 176
5. Sophie Ecclestone: 8 matches, 31.3 overs, 189 balls, 11 wickets, Avg: 18.82, Runs: 207
Remarkably, this marks the first instance in the collective history of the IPL and WPL wherein a team has clinched the championship while its players have secured both the Orange and the Purple Caps.