For the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Women’s team, the date February 5, 2026, will be one to remember as the team secured their second Women’s Premier League (WPL) title. Not only that they chased down the highest-ever total in a WPL finals match as the team defeated Delhi Capitals by six wickets. DC Women, who made their fourth finals appearance, faced another loss, ending their campaign as the No. 2 team in the points table.
RCB Women’s victory is a special credit to the massive partnership of over 150 runs between skipper Smriti Mandhana (87 off 41) and Georgia Voll (79 off 54). Both the batter single-handedly chased down the target of 204, leaving very little work for other batters.
On the other hand, DC Women’s skipper Jemimah Rodrigues (57 off 37) and Laura Wolvaardt (44 runs off 25 balls) made valuable contributions on their part and tried their best to lead the team towards victory. But the team could not get past the dominating table-toppers.
The final post-match presentation saw a range of awardees credited for their notable performances in the WPL 2026 season. DC Women’s ace bowler Sophie Devine was awarded the purple cap for most wickets claimed (17 wickets), named Most Valuable Player of the Season and also won the best game award.
Meanwhile, youngster Nandani Sharma was named Emerging Player of the Season, who was also tied with her teammate Devine at 17 wickets. In addition to that, bowler Grace Harris won the best striker award for maintaining the best strike rate in the season. Meanwhile, Lucy Hamilton got the best catch of the season award.
From the winning team, it was captain Smriti Mandhana who won the orange cap as the top run scorer of the league. The batter scored 377 runs in nine innings at an average of 53.85. She also won the Player of the Match award for her terrific 87 runs off 41 balls performance in the final match. Meanwhile, her teammate, Lauren Bell, unsurprisingly, was awarded for the most dot balls scored in the season.
On the other hand, two-time champion Mumbai Indians Women’s skipper Harmanpreet Kaur got the award for the most sixes in the season. The batter scored 13 sixes in the eight matches played in the tournament. The MI Women’s team had also won the Fair Play award.
Rodrigues is happy and proud despite the finals loss
Despite the final loss, DC Women’s captain Jemimah Rodrigues is proud of her team and the kind of performance they showcased throughout the league. The captain is quite satisfied with the results as they set up a massive target of 204 runs in the finals.
She said, “I could not be more proud of this team. It was not easy for us but the character our girls showed, it is something I can be proud of. Not just them, the support staff has also worked tirelessly for us. Every single person, even the fans, all over the world, thank you so much.”
With youngsters like Nandini Sharma, Niki Prasad, Sneh Rana, and Minnu Mani as part of this season, the team has some emerging talents that have added great depth in their performances.
