DC denied again as Mandhana-Voll record stand clinches RCB's second WPL crown

It happened again! It wasn't supposed to happen when they put up 203/4 on the board especially given the recent history at this venue but Delhi Capitals suffered their fourth straight heartbreak in a WPL final - second time against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Smriti Mandhana and Georgia Voll were involved in the highest-ever partnership in WPL history to script the highest successful run chase ever in the tournament as RCB lifted the crown on Thursday (February 5) for the second time. The extraordinary 165-run partnership crushed DC on a night they thought belonged to them at the halfway mark.

The fact that the Capitals managed to post a 200-plus total despite the start they made in the first half of the PowerPlay was quite remarkable. Only 9 runs came from the opening three overs as Lizelle Lee struggled to get going against Lauren Bell.

As a result of that, Sayali Satghare bore Lee's wrath when she attempted to break free as the bowler was hammered for back-to-back sixes which was followed by a wayward delivery down leg that went for a boundary. Shafali Verma, who had faced only 8 deliveries in the first five overs, fetched a couple of boundaries when she finally got the strike before perishing in the same over. That didn't stop Lee from going after Shreyanka Patil in the very next over after the PowerPlay that yielded 19 runs.

With momentum on DC's side after smashing 63 runs in four overs, RCB relied on Nadine de Klerk to provide them a much-needed breakthrough and she obliged with the big wicket of Lee who miscued one to fall for 37. A determined Jemimah Rodrigues then walked out with intent and went on the offensive very early as DC raced to 94/2 at the halfway point. Rodrigues added to Shreyanka's misery on the night by finding the boundary thrice when she returned to bowl her second over. The skipper eventually helped herself to a fantastic fifty off just 32 balls as DC set themselves up for a massive finish.

Even though Rodrigues fell at the wrong time with 25 balls still left in the innings, DC found a hero in Chinelle Henry. Laura Wolvaardt, who finished the 18th over with a six was just a spectator in the penultimate over in which Henry went 4,4,4,4,6. Henry hammered another six in the final over which was followed by a boundary from Wolvaardt's bat that carried the total beyond the 200-run mark. No team had ever chased a 160-plus total at this venue in WPL 2026 and overall, only once was a 200-plus target chased down in the competition's history.

With the odds against them, RCB began on a disastrous note even though Grace Harris hit a couple of boundaries in the opening over to kickstart proceedings in the chase. It was Henry who made an impact once again, this time with the ball, by castling Harris to put early pressure on RCB. Like it was the case with Shafali earlier, Mandhana was away from strike for 25 out of the first 30 deliveries in the chase but Voll kept the boundaries flowing to ensure RCB didn't fall behind early. When the RCB skipper did get the strike in the final over of the powerplay, she made it count by rounding it off with a four and six as her side wiped out 59 runs in the phase.

The two players continued to keep the scorecard ticking before Mandhana launched Nandni Sharma into the stands to pile the pressure on the Capitals. That six carried RCB to 100/1 at the halfway mark with momentum completely on their side. Literally three balls later, another six flew off Mandhana's bat before the two batters brought up their respective fifties. The game was then well and truly slipping away real quick when Sneh Rana conceded 15 runs in her first over as the Capitals continued to search for answers.

Even Henry's return to the attack didn't provide the desired result as she ended up conceding a boundary each to the duo. Shree Charani and Marizanne Kapp gave away five boundaries combined over the next two overs before Minnu Mani finally broke the stand. This is where DC found their voice for a brief period as Nandni dismissed Richa Ghosh before Henry castled Mandhana in the following over to cause some panic in the RCB dugout. But Minnu Mani dropped Radha Yadav off the very next ball and that proved to be costly. Needing 10 from the final over, Radha got the job done by finding the boundary off successive deliveries to put DC out of their misery.

Brief scores: Delhi Capitals 203/4 in 20 overs (Jemimah Rodrigues 57, Laura Wolvaardt 44; Lauren Bell 0/19) lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru 204/4 in 19.4 overs (Smriti Mandhana 87, Georgia Voll 79; Chinelle Henry 2/34) by 6 wickets