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Smriti Mandhana took Royal Challengers Bengaluru to her second Women's Premier League (WPL) title after defeating Delhi Capitals by six wickets in the final held at the BCA Stadium in Vadodara on Thursday.
Mandhana became the second captain to lift two WPL titles after the Mumbai Indians' Harmanpreet Kaur. Kaur won the trophy in 2023 and 2025. This is RCB's second WPL title after winning their first title in the 2024 season. The 29-year-old Mandhana emerged as the highest run-scorer and ended the 2026 WPL season with 377 runs in nine innings and took the Orange Cap for the first time. Mandhana's 377 runs this season are the second-best season for any batter in WPL. Nat Sciver-Brunt's 523 runs last season helped MI win the trophy. She made runs at an average of 53.86 and a strike rate of over 150. Her highest individual score of the season (96 off 61 balls) came against Delhi Capitals during the league-stage. She also played a match-winning knock of 87 in the final, which helped RCB win the trophy. This is the first time that a 175-plus target has been chased down in any Women's T20 final - leagues or internationals. The uncapped India seamer Nandani Sharma of Delhi Capitals finished as the joint leading wicket-taker with 17 wickets. But the Purple Cap, awarded to the highest wicket-taker, was awarded to Sophie Devine of Gujarat Giants, who took wickets at a better economy rate. However, Sharma received the Emerging Player of the Season Award for her outstanding performance throughout the season. The 24-year-old has yet to represent India at the international level. Earlier, Mandhana added 165 runs for the second wicket with Georgia Voll (79 runs off 54 balls), which helped the RCB chase down a daunting target of 204 runs. Mandhana's 87 is also the highest individual score in the WPL final. Chasing the highest total of the WPL, Mandhana's side scripted history, that too in the tournament's finale. Earlier, the record was also held by RCB, who chased down 202 runs against the Gujarat Giants last year. (ANI)
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