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Smriti Mandhana's Orange Cap Heroics Lead RCB to Historic WPL 2026 Title

Smriti Mandhana led Royal Challengers Bengaluru to their second Women's Premier League title with a historic six-wicket victory over Delhi Capitals. Mandhana, the tournament's Orange Cap winner, scored a match-winning 87 in the final to chase down a record target of 204. Uncapped seamer Nandani Sharma emerged as a standout performer, finishing as the joint-leading wicket-taker and winning the Emerging Player award. The victory marked the first time a 175-plus target has been chased in any women's T20 final.

Key Points: RCB Wins WPL 2026 Final: Mandhana's Record Chase vs DC

  • Mandhana wins Orange Cap with 377 runs
  • RCB chases record 204 to win final
  • Nandani Sharma is joint-leading wicket-taker
  • First 175+ chase in a women's T20 final
  • Mandhana's 87 is highest score in WPL final
2 min read

WPL 2026: Mandhana's memorable campaign helps RCB win another title as uncapped Nandani shines on big stage

Smriti Mandhana's 87 runs in the final powered RCB to a record chase against Delhi Capitals, securing their second WPL title. Nandani Sharma shines as Emerging Player.

"This is the first time that a 175-plus target has been chased down in any Women's T20 final - leagues or internationals."

Vadodara, February 6

Smriti Mandhana took Royal Challengers Bengaluru to her second Women's Premier League title after defeating Delhi Capitals by six wickets in the final held at the BCA Stadium in Vadodara on Thursday.

Mandhana became the second captain to lift two WPL titles after the Mumbai Indians' Harmanpreet Kaur. Kaur won the trophy in 2023 and 2025. This is RCB's second WPL title after winning their first title in the 2024 season.

The 29-year-old Mandhana emerged as the highest run-scorer and ended the 2026 WPL season with 377 runs in nine innings and took the Orange Cap for the first time.

Mandhana's 377 runs this season are the second-best season for any batter in WPL. Nat Sciver-Brunt's 523 runs last season helped MI win the trophy.

She made runs at an average of 53.86 and a strike rate of over 150. Her highest individual score of the season (96 off 61 balls) came against Delhi Capitals during the league-stage. She also played a match-winning knock of 87 in the final, which helped RCB win the trophy.

This is the first time that a 175-plus target has been chased down in any Women's T20 final - leagues or internationals.

The uncapped India seamer Nandani Sharma of Delhi Capitals finished as the joint leading wicket-taker with 17 wickets. But the Purple Cap, awarded to the highest wicket-taker, was awarded to Sophie Devine of Gujarat Giants, who took wickets at a better economy rate.

However, Sharma received the Emerging Player of the Season Award for her outstanding performance throughout the season. The 24-year-old has yet to represent India at the international level.

Earlier, Mandhana added 165 runs for the second wicket with Georgia Voll (79 runs off 54 balls), which helped the RCB chase down a daunting target of 204 runs. Mandhana's 87 is also the highest individual score in the WPL final.

Chasing the highest total of the WPL, Mandhana's side scripted history, that too in the tournament's finale. Earlier, the record was also held by RCB, who chased down 202 runs against the Gujarat Giants last year.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

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Priya S
Thrilled for RCB! But can we please talk about Nandani Sharma? 17 wickets as an uncapped player is phenomenal. The selectors must be watching. She absolutely deserved that Emerging Player award. Future of Indian pace bowling is bright! ✨
R
Rohit P
A historic chase! First time a 175+ target chased in a women's T20 final. Mandhana and Voll's partnership was the game-changer. WPL keeps getting better and better. Great for women's cricket in India.
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Sarah B
While the win is fantastic, I feel a bit for Delhi Capitals and Nandani. To be joint top wicket-taker and still not get the Purple Cap due to economy rate is a tough rule. She was brilliant throughout. Hope she gets her India cap soon.
K
Karthik V
Smriti's consistency is just amazing. Orange Cap with 377 runs. She's not just a star batter but a leader who inspires. RCB's women's team showing the men's team how to win finals! 😄 Well done, girls!
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Nisha Z
This final had everything! High score, record chase, emerging talent shining. WPL is doing exactly what it was meant to do - provide a platform. Nandani Sharma is a perfect example. More power to our women cricketers!

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