'Just want to say Ee Sala Cup Namdu': Smriti Mandhana after RCB are crowned WPL champions

Smriti Mandhana emphasised on peaking at the right time in a tournament as the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) outplayed the Delhi Capitals to be crowned champions of the second season of the Women's Premier League on Sunday.

RCB had lost four out of their first seven matches this season and were in danger of losing out the third playoff spot to either UP Warriorz or even the bottom-ranked Gujarat Giants, with DC and defending champions Mumbai Indians comfortably placed in the top two.

Bangalore, however, would hand MI a seven-wicket thrashing in their final league match to storm into the playoffs, and would pull off a stunning victory against the same team three days later to march into the final.

RCB would then outshine DC in all departments in the summit clash at Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday, bundling the Meg Lanning-led side out for a paltry 113 before cantering past the finish line with eight wickets to spare.

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When reflecting on RCB's turnaround in the business end of the season, Mandhana not only spoke of peaking at the right time but also credited the management for backing her as a captain as well as the rest of the team despite a disappointing show last year.

"In such tournaments, you have to peak at the right time. Last year taught us a lot of things, as a player, as a captain and as a team. The management, the way they backed me during the review after the season…they have been through a lot and a big thumbs up.

"For them to have this trophy, it is amazing for them. I am not the only one who has won the trophy, the team has won. For RCB as a franchise to win, it is really, really special," Mandhana said during the post-match presentation ceremony.

Bangalore had finished second from bottom last season, losing six out of their eight league matches.

And they nearly missed out on the playoffs for a second season running after suffering back-to-back losses in the Delhi leg of the season, against Gujarat Giants and the Capitals respectively. Mandhana said that the team treated each game from thereon as a knockout, which helped them deliver their best under pressure.

"We have been through ups and downs but they have stuck at it, and the way we have gotten past the line, it was amazing. Our Bangalore leg was really good. We had two tough losses.

"The last league match was like a quarter, then the semi and then the final," the India opener said.

Not only did RCB defeat DC for the first time in the WPL across two seasons, they also helped the franchise win their first trophy, with the men's team having not won a single edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 16 attempts, finishing runners-up thrice.

Towards the end of her chat, Mandhana had a special message for RCB's loyal fanbase, who had waited for more than a decade for their team to finally make an addition to their empty trophy cabinet.

"I have a message for all the RCB fans, the most loyal fan base. Nothing would have been possible without their support. Ee Sala Cup Namde always comes up, and now I just want to say Ee Sala Cup Namdu."

'They outplayed us'

The night couldn't be more disappointing for Delhi Capitals skipper Lanning, one of the most decorated leaders in the history of the sport who led Australia to victory in five World Cups — four in the T20 format and one ODI. The Capitals, after all, lost a second final in as many years after securing direct entry by virtue of finishing at the top of the table at the end of the league stage.

In both finals, the Capitals ended up getting restricted to a modest total and failing to contain the opposition batters, resulting in both MI and RCB cruising to comfortable victories.

Lanning didn't shy away from admitting her team had been outplayed in the match that mattered the most.

"Disappointing to not get it done tonight. We played some good cricket through the tournament. But it was about not playing well on the day. Congratulations to RCB, they outplayed us. But we can be proud of our efforts throughout," the 31-year-old said during the post-match presentation.

DC were cruising at 64 for no loss at the end of the seven-over mark thanks to a fiery start from Shafali Verma's (44 off 26) when Sophie Molineux brought their charge to a screeching halt by striking thrice in her second over. Molineux's triple strike would trigger a collapse that would lead to Delhi losing 10 wickets for just 49 runs.

"It all happened relatively quickly, as it tends to do. Crazy things happen, and every game has been pretty close. You can never sort of rest and think it is under control because there are so many good teams," Lanning said when asked about the collapse.