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It was a historic night for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) as not only did they secure their second Women's Premier League (WPL) title, but also chased down the highest total across the IPL and WPL in the finals.
An early dent in the form of the loss of Grace Harris could not deter RCB from their path, as skipper Smriti Mandhana and Georgia Voll put together a historic partnership to lead their team to their third franchise cricket title and a historic double of holding the WPL and the IPL titles at the same time. This chase of 204 runs is the highest across WPL and IPL finals, outdoing the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) chase of 200 runs in the 2014 IPL final against Punjab Kings. This is also the first time that a target of above 175 has been chased down in any Women's T20 final - leagues or internationals. The total also happens to be the most successful run chase in WPL history, with RCB outdoing their 202 run chase in the 2025 edition against Gujarat Giants. Coming to the match, RCB won the toss and opted to bowl first. Lizelle Lee (37 in 30 balls, with three fours and three sixes) and Shafali Verma (20 in 13 balls, with three fours) put their team to a flying start. A 76-run stand for the third wicket between Jemimah Rodrigues, who played a captain's knock of 57 in 37 balls, with eight fours and Laura Wolvaardt (44 in 35 balls, with three fours and two sixes) brought them back to the game. Just when RCB threatened to pull things back, Chinelle Henry (35* in 15 balls, with four boundaries and two sixes) played a fiery cameo to power DC to 203/4 in 20 overs, the highest in a WPL final. In the chase, RCB lost Grace Harris (8) early, but a 165-run stand between Smriti (87 in 41 balls, with 12 fours and three sixes) and Georgia Voll (79 in 54 balls, with 14 fours) pierced DC's chances with every hit. DC threatened to pull things back with three quick wickets in the final few overs, but Radha Yadav (12*) and Nadine de Klerk (7*) chased the total with six wickets and two balls in hand. Mandhana was adjudged the 'Player of the Match' award. (ANI)
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