Cricket WPL 2026

WPL 2026 : Skipper Smriti Mandhana and Georgia Voll’s 165 runs mammoth partnership powers RCB Women to the 2nd WPL Title

February 8, 2026
Anup Konnur

The 29-year-old Smriti Mandhana made a knock of 87 runs off just 41 balls as her team completed a world record run-chase. Smriti Mandhana created history and set multiple world records as she powered Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to their second Women’s Premier League (WPL) title after beating Delhi Capitals (DC) in the summit clash of the 2026 edition in a high-scoring clash, as her team chased a record total of 204 with two balls to spare in a last-over thriller after a high-scoring clash.

Smriti Mandhana played a knock for the ages with some impeccable strokeplay as she made 87 runs off just 41 balls at a strike rate of 212.20 in a knock that included 12 boundaries and three sixes. She put up a massive partnership for 163 runs with Georgia Voll, who made a vital knock of 79 runs in 54 balls.

Through the course of her knock, Smriti Mandhana went past Harmanpreet Kaur’s tally and became the highest run-getter of the season and has won the orange cap. She is the first Indian player to achieve the feat, after the prize was won by Meg Lanning, Ellyse Perry, and Nat Sciver-Brunt in each of the first three seasons.

Smriti Mandhana’s score is the highest individual score in the final of the WPL. The record was also previously held by Harmanpreet (66 in 2023). Both she and teammate Voll (79) went past her in the elite list. Smriti Mandhana is the first captain from a winning team to win the orange cap.

In fact, no player has achieved the rare feat in the 18-year history of the Men’s Indian Premier League either.Tendulkar, Kohli, Warner, Williamson, and Lanning all played the final while leading their side in the year they won the orange cap, but ended up on the losing side. Smriti Mandhana has also joined Harmanpreet and become the second captain to win the WPL two times. The Indian cricket team and the vice-captain are the only skippers to lift the elusive trophy so far in history.

In all women’s T20 cricket across the world, Smriti Mandhana made the highest individual score in a final while chasing. Her tally of 377 runs in the 2026 WPL is also the highest by a captain in a WPL season.

If batting is an art, the WPL 2026 final at BCA Stadium in Vadodara was filled with Picassos. The match started with Lizelle Lee’s impactful knock and ended with Smriti Mandhana and Georgia Voll’s blitzkreig that helped Royal Challengers Bengaluru beat Delhi Capitals in the summit clash to lift their second title in three years. The duo stitched a phenomenal partnership of 165 runs to get the job done as the Jemimah Rodrigues-led side had a very difficult outing with the ball, resulting in their fourth straight final loss.

Pitch Report and Toss

Pitch Report : “As we look at the dimensions of this ground, pitch number five, same surface as the Eliminator. One side – 54m, the other 58m, straight hit is 66m, but honestly, boundaries are your friends, batters. Fours more than sixes, higher percentage of fours here than in Navi Mumbai. Play smart like Beth Mooney, Shafali Verma, Lizelle Lee, you’ll get runs. The thing that stands out for me is that maybe there’s not as much grass through these cracks. Now, these cracks have actually played a little bit in the way that it’s gone with the bounce, but I still think there’s enough in it for the bowlers.

If we look back at the last game here, that was here in the Eliminator, if you put the ball in a good enough area consistently enough, and we saw Chinelle Henry do that outstandingly. She picked up three wickets. She was able to get some movement. She was able to hit those cracks a little bit and allow her batters to get put under a little bit of pressure. You put the ball in the right area long enough in the powerplay with the new ball, you’ll get a little bit of assistance.

And then I think Nadine de Klerk will just look at going wicket-to-wicket. RCB haven’t played in six days, so it’s going to be a nice challenge for them to get used to this wicket early. Delhi’s got their good memories from this wicket as well. I still think there’s going to be some assistance with the spin.” reckons Raunak Kapoor and Katey Martin.

Toss : Royal Challengers Bengaluru Women skipper Smriti Mandhana won the toss and chose to bowl and made no changes in the Playing XI. Delhi Capitals Women skipper Jemimah Rodrigues batting first alaso made no changes in the Playing XI.

Skipper Jemimah Rodrigues solid half century followed by brisk cameos by Lee, Woolvardt and Chinelle Henry powers DC to solid 203 for 4 in 20 overs

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.After being put in, DC began steadily before Lizelle Lee took charge, launching back-to-back sixes off Sayali Satghare in the fourth over. In a chaotic over that included six runs off wides, Satghare ended up conceding 20 runs and also spilled a chance of Shafali Verma. Shafali, however, could not capitalise on her chance. Though she hit two fours off Arundhati Reddy in the sixth over, she edged to the keeper in the same over, departing for 20 off 13 balls.Laura Wolvaardt then joined Lee, and the duo took charge of the innings, hitting 19 runs off offspinner Shreyanka Patil in the seventh over which included three fours and a six. Then Nadine de Klerk came on and created an impact straightaway. After Lee had an lbw decision reversed, de Klerk struck back in the same over, drawing her into a big swing and a miscue that went straight up and was taken by Grace Harris charging in from long-on.

Jemimah Rodrigues, having found form in recent games, was in full flow on the day. She looked in sublime touch, punishing remotely wide, not letting the momentum slip away after Lee’s dismissal.

When Radha Yadav strayed full, she caressed her past extra cover for her first boundary of the day. She kept peppering that region, driving de Klerk twice and Patil once for fours in the 10th and 11th overs respectively. Then she hit Patil for two more fours in the same over, bending her back knee to slog over short midwicket and rocking back to cut behind point. She soon brought up her half-century off 32 balls but departed shortly after, holing out to deep backward square leg off a full-toss

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.
Wolvaardt began steadily before finding her rhythm and clearing the ropes twice. But it was Chinelle Henry who inflicted late damage, hitting de Klerk for three fours and a six to score 24 runs off the 19th over. The final over bowled by Satghare went for 15, propelling DC to 203 for 4. It was the second-highest first-innings total in any Women’s T20 tournament final.
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.

Skipper Smriti Mandhana and Georgia Voll’s 165 runs mammoth partnership powers RCB Women to the 2nd WPL Title

RCB faced a record WPL chase. But they were the only team in the tournament’s history to have successfully chased a 200-plus total before, and had dominated this season from start to finish, picking up five consecutive wins up front to top the table.

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, Smriti 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 Grace Harris started the chase with a bang, hitting two fours off Marizanne Kapp in the first over. But Henry, carrying on from where she had left with the bat, struck with her very first ball to flatten Harris’ middle stump for 9. Voll joined Mandhana at the crease and started to innovate straightaway, shuffling across early to scoop over short fine leg for her first boundary.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 pair ensured RCB kept up with the asking rate, finding the gaps often and targeting all of DC’s bowlers. Mandhana looked in imperious form, punishing anything in her arc. When Nandani Sharma bowled a slower one right into the slot, Mandhana got down on one knee to send it over deep square leg for the first six of her innings.

Voll brought up her half-century off 36 balls, with RCB at that point having cleared more than half their target. Mandhana too continued her masterclass, driving Sneh Rana over extra cover for four to bring up her half-century off 23 balls, her fastest in the WPL. The runs continued to flow: Rana and Shree Charani went for 15 each off the 12th and 14th overs, and Mandhana and Voll seemed to be turning a record chase into a stroll.

The two players continued to keep the scorecard ticking before Smriti 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 Smriti 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. DC finally made a breakthrough, Minnu Mani getting Voll to hole out for a 54-ball 79. This left RCB needing 30 off 21 balls, with two key batters in place.

But Nandani struck in the 18th over to remove Richa Ghosh cheaply, and Henry delivered a critical blow in the next over, bowling Mandhana for 87. DC could sense a remarkable comeback, but with 13 needed off 8, Mani failed to hold on to a steepling chance in the covers off new batter Radha. 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.With RCB needing 10 from the final over, Radha sealed the win with back-to-back boundaries, breaking DC’s hearts.

Presentations and Takeaways

Nandni Sharma gets the Emerging player of the season award.
Smriti Mandhana gets the Orange cap for most runs.
Sophie Devine gets the Purple cap for most wickets.
Sophie Devine who is| MVP which is Player of the Tournament  said : I’m hugely honoured to win the Purple cap for the Tata WPL 2026, but really happy to be able to perform for my team. Unfortunately, couldn’t make it through to the finals, but I just want to say a huge thank you to not only the WPL, but also all the fans, to the Gujarat Giants. It’s been an awesome season for us, so thank you very much to everyone that’s come along and supported, not only me, but the team as well.
Jemimah Rodrigues the losing DC-Women skipper said :  I think I couldn’t be more proud of this team. It wasn’t easy for us, but the kind of character our girls showed for us to just make it to the finals is something I’m so proud of. And, you know, I couldn’t ask for anything better. They’re a great bunch of girls. Not just that, but especially our support staff has worked tirelessly after us, making sure our environment’s great.
And not just that, even our logistics and every single person. You can see the DC fans there screaming, shouting every time. And yeah, all our DC fans all over the world. Thank you so much. (score of 203 on the board, how did she see it?) I think 204 in a final is always a great score. Hats off to the way we played as a team. I think we’ve been great. You know, if ever you wanted our team to fire and click, it was today. And I think we did that really well.
Yeah. There’s always, you know, okay, we could have done this better, that better. But I think everyone fought hard. Everyone gave their all. And sometimes that’s all, all that’s important. (on their season, her thoughts) I think the assessment has been great. You know, it’s easier if we start a tournament off well, but to pick ourselves up, even if it’s a senior player or even if someone like Niki and Rana, you know, the way they batted that day was phenomenal.
They just showed that, you know, what kind of depth is there in Indian cricket. And at the same time, Nandni, she’s been great. She honestly did more than what we asked her to do. And I’m so proud of her. Even Minnu, even Minnu for the way she’s fielded, the way she showed up. So it’s been a great bunch of girls, the experience coming in and as well as, you know, the youngsters learning. I think it’s been great.
Smriti Mandhana the WPL Winning RCB skipper and Player of the Match for her 87 runs said : Very pleased. Again, I feel RCB fans are the best fans in the world, wherever we play, we get a lot of support. Even for now, they keep waiting. They know that again, I feel whatever we do is for them. And yeah, I mean, three titles in three years for the franchise. I mean, it’s amazing. (a sense of calmness in your side despite conceding 203) Yeah, we definitely did think that it’s a good surface to bat on.
But of course, 200-plus in a final is definitely a good score. I thought that in the last four overs, we definitely bowled well and pulled it a little better. Again, credit to Lauren Bell. I mean, 400 in a match and she goes for like four overs, 20-odd runs. I mean, that’s for me is the match-winning spell. (on the stand with Voll) Yeah, of course, Volly led the way. She had almost all the strike in the powerplay, but her intent was really spot on.
And I remember telling the girls 10 or 15 days back that I have a feeling that Volly will get a match-winning knock in the final and really happy, really happy for her. She’s been working extremely hard on her game. I saw her practicing extra in the last two, three days. So I’m happy that it paid off for her. (on the support staff) Well, I think when we win, we all can say that oh being calm and chill always works. But one thing which has stood out for me is the way support staff has been around the girls, the role clarity was given.
Not only now, just the auction happened and everyone got phone calls and this is what we are looking from you. This is the batting order or this is the phases we want you to bowl in. And that really helps. Credit to Malo, Anya, RX sir and the roles were pretty clear for all the girls and when I think that happens in the right way, I feel our job is pretty easy to come in and just lead the way.
(on the belief in the camp) I feel girls are working extremely hard and that’s one thing which really shoots up your belief when you work hard in the gym, when you’re putting in the hard yards, you have that belief that any score you can chase it down, anything you can do. And yeah, I mean the whole group was very hardworking girls and they put in the hard yards. So once that happens, I feel the 200 on board, we all felt really confident that we could chase it down.
Having said that, but what Volly did, I feel was really special. (which is the one player which has impressed you the most this season?) Well, the campaign we’ve had, everyone has, I feel everyone going back to their home will say that this is what we’ve contributed in the team. I’ll mention two or maybe three players. PK (Prathyoosha Kumar) was our girl who did not get a game and she was there right through every practice session working and giving water and therefore, I mean these things go unnoticed.
Then Gautami and Prema, I mean these are two special youngsters and I’m really happy the way they have worked around the group. Again, before going back, I have to thank all the RCB fans again turning up in huge numbers. This one’s for you guys. And I said that, I said this in 2024, I’ll say it again, that this time it’s – Ee sala cup namdu 2! (This year cup is ours) (flashes the number 2 symbol with her left hand) So let’s go.

Georgia Voll and Smriti Mandhana masterminded the highest-ever chase in WPL history to guide Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to their second title, denying Delhi Capitals (DC) for the fourth time in a final. The match went down to the wire, with RCB losing three wickets in just 14 balls towards the end.

With eight needed off four balls, Radha Yadav hit two consecutive boundaries off N Shree Charani to complete a thrilling chase. Smriti Mandhana and Voll came together at 9 for 1 in RCB’s chase of 204, and put on 165 off just 92 balls. It was the highest-ever partnership for any wicket in the WPL. This win marked the second time RCB have triumphed over DC in a WPL final, the first coming in 2024.

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.

Celebrations in the RCB-W camp. Dejection in DC-W. Malolan Rangarajan and Jonathan Batty both head coaches of their respective sides shake hands and have a gracious chat. Jemimah walks straight back inside. Hugs for Radha who helped RCB-W through. How crucial was that drop by Minnu Mani! Potentially WPL trophy costing drop then and there.

Fourth time in a row DC-W lose the final. Ask them about what heartbreak means in life. Not anyone else. They scored 203 tonight and yet they come second-best. That’s due to an unreal partnership between Smriti and Voll. After the early fall of Grace Harris the right-hander and left-hander put on a masterclass in boundary-hitting.

In fact every over of the RCB-W chase there was at least a boundary which in itself is a remarkable stat. That cut DC-W’s spirit and left them bleeding. After Voll got out, Richa threw it away and there was a sliver of a chance for Delhi but Mani dropped Radha who then went and hit two fours in the last over to take RCB-W over the line. Apart from the end when it got interesting, RCB-W were strolling in the chase on the back of two special knocks.

Mithun Manhas and Devajit Saikia present the WPL trophy to Smriti Mandhana who collects it and then the entire RCB team pose for the photos. The trophy is hoisted high in the air by Richa Ghosh and then it is passed on to everyone else. Confetti rains from above as the shutterbugs click away. Now the support staff join the squad for photos. Lots of happy faces. The celebrations won’t stop for now. Richa sprinkles some golden coloured confetti on top of Radha’s head. They now go and pose behind the “ENTHRONED” sign as red confetti rains down on them. Georgia Voll takes a selfie on her mobile phone.

RCB were the best team in the competition and deservingly finish as winners. They won 5 in a row, then lost two before winning their next two in a row to finish as champs. Smriti Mandhana batted like a dream and the others chipped in. Whatever they tried worked. Delhi on the other hand were left to deal with heartache again. Fourth time in a row it has happened. What more could they do to win the title, they will be asking themselves. This will hurt them for a long time. After scoring 203, they were blown away by Voll and Smriti.

Will take some time to recover from this. So yet another season of WPL ends and with RCB winning, it’s the first time that both the men’s and women’s titles have been held by one franchise ever. Certainly a big achievement that. The party will go on all night on the streets of Bengaluru and wherever RCB’s supporters are.

The sky sees gold and red confetti fly high in the air. Smriti is congratulated by Rajesh Menon, the head and vice-president of RCB. Then Smriti Mandhana goes and picks up a young kid and keeps the kid in her arms. She is chatting away as the celebrations continue.

Also Read: ENG vs IND : Shubman Gill Appointed Test Skipper For Red Ball

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