Smriti Mandhana-led Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) made the ‘Ee Sala Cup Namdu’ a reality with an eight-wicket win over Meg Lanning’s Delhi Capitals (DC) in Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2024 final at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi on March 17. After the win, former RCB men’s cricket team captain Virat Kohli connected with Mandhana and the team on a video call and congratulated them for winning the trophy in the second edition of WPL.
In the video that is making rounds on social media, Mandhana is facing trouble hearing Kohli amidst the crowd’s cheers. Kohli talked to RCB players as they created history in the first WPL final they played, especially after a lacklustre first season.
Bowlers turn the tide
RCB spin trio Sophie Molineux, Shreyanka Patil, and Asha Sobhana caused a batting collapse as DC went from 64 for no loss to 113 all out in 18.3 overs. Despite a slow start and a couple of hiccups, Ellyse Perry and Richa Ghosh ensured that RCB chased down the target with three balls to spare.
“Was a great match. Finals are always funny games. Delhi Capitals were a great team throughout the season. Pretty happy to get over the line. Felt I was bowling slow tonight. Had been bowling quick throughout the tournament - took the learnings from it. To be taken on by RCB after not playing cricket for a while was pretty special. To be a part of it was really cool,” ‘Player of the Match’ Molineux said in the post-match presentation.
RCB batters hold the nerve
In a low-scoring encounter, RCB openers started slow but then accelerated. Shikha Pandey and Minnu Mani took one wicket each where Ellyse Perry and Richa Ghosh's unbeaten 33-run partnership took RCB over the line.
“Thumbs up to them. For RCB, it's a lot more. I'm not the only one who won the trophy, the team has won the trophy. I'm not the person to talk about what I feel. This is in top five maybe. Obviously, a World Cup would top it. Have a message for the fans - the most loyal fanbase. One statement that always comes up is Ee Sala Cup Namde. Now it's Ee Sala Cup Namdu,” Mandhana said in the post-match presentation.
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