Tension gripped the BCA Stadium in Vadodara as the WPL 2026 final commenced. RCB skipper Smriti Mandhana triumphed at the toss, inserting Delhi Capitals (DC) to bat first in a bid to leverage chasing conditions.
‘Bowling first aligns with our plans,’ Mandhana shared. ‘It’s the tournament norm, and clarity on the chase target suits us.’ Retaining the winning combination, RCB looks sharp.
Rodrigues of DC responded gracefully: ‘No complaints on the toss. We’d have done the same. Same XI, and pitch intel from eliminator aids us greatly.’
DC’s serial finalists—fourth time lucky? Past finals brought agony: MI victories in 1 and 3, RCB in 2. Their first title hunger is palpable.
RCB aims to replicate past glory, pitting pace, spin, and batting depth against DC’s arsenal. The strip favors accumulators early, quickens later.
DC squad: Lizelle Lee (wk), Shafali Verma, Laura Wolvaardt, Jemimah Rodrigues (c), Marizanne Kapp, Chinelle Henry, Niki Prasad, Sneh Rana, Minnu Mani, Sri Charani, Nandini Sharma.
RCB lineup: Grace Harris, Smriti Mandhana (c), Georgia Voll, Richa Ghosh (wk), Radha Yadav, Nadine de Klerk, Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Sayali Satghare, Shreyanka Patil, Lauren Bell.
This showdown pits resilience against redemption, with the winner etching their name in WPL immortality.