Packed stadiums and RCB win, women’s cricket hits new high
The curtain came down on the second edition of the Women's Premier League (WPL) with the Royal Challengers Bangalore doing what their famous men's team have failed to do by lifting the trophy in New Delhi on Sunday.
The RCB won their maiden title after their spinners restricted Delhi Capitals to 113, setting the stage for an eight-wicket victory with just three balls to spare.
Chasing a modest total, Bangalore started slowly and weathered the loss of openers Sophie Devine (32) and captain Smriti Mandhana (31) before Ellyse Perry ( 35 not out) and Richa Ghosh (17 not out) led them to victory in the final over.
Delhi captain Meg Lanning won the toss and chose to bat, the same decision she made last year when her team lost the final of the inaugural edition to Mumbai Indians.
Shafali Verma (44) and Lanning (23) started well with a blistering 64-run opening stand in seven overs before Sophie Molineux (320) put the stops on their charge with three wickets in four balls.
Sobhana Asha (2-14) and Shreyanka Patil (4-12) then chipped in with wickets at regular intervals to clean up the middle order and tail as Delhi collapsed and were dismissed for 113 in 18.3 overs.
Delhi's Shikha Pandey (1-11) and Minnu Mani (1-12) had some success in containing Bangalore's run rate in the first 12 overs, but Perry and Ghosh regained the momentum in the last five overs, to ensure victory.
"The feeling has not sunk in yet, maybe it will take time. Hard for me to come out with a lot of expression. Only thing I want to say is I am proud of the bunch," said RCB skipper Mandhana.
"We have been through ups and downs but they have stuck at it, and the way we have gotten past the line (tonight), it was amazing."
India's star opener says only a World Cup win would be ahead of RCB'S win in her list of achievements.
"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. This win is definitely one of the top five maybe. A World Cup (win) would top it," she said.
The second edition of the WPL, which came to an end with the RCB franchise ending their trophy drought in front of 37,000 spectators in Sunday's final, was a resounding success.
The competition has quickly built a fan base independent of the more established Indian Premier League, and dramatically boosted the earning power of women cricketers.
"The quality of cricket is very good. The energy we are seeing on the field is very good," Delhi fan Srishti Kumar said. "It's a great initiative."
Bangalore were the unexpected finalists after a narrow five-run win over title-holders Mumbai Indians in Friday's eliminator, bouncing back from their fourth place finish in the first season.
The WPL was first staged last year as a curtain-raiser for the IPL and has already proved a tidy earner for the country's cash-rich cricket board.
Franchise rights were auctioned off last January for $572.5 million, while media rights for the first five seasons were sold to Viacom18 for $116.7 million.
The two deals made the WPL the world's second-most valuable women's sports league after WNBA women's basketball in the United States.
Australian all-rounder Annabel Sutherland topped the most recent player auction last December when Delhi enlisted her for $240,000.
All-format India captain Harmanpreet Kaur led Mumbai to victory in the inaugural season with a seven-wicket win over Delhi in March 2023.
Match crowds have grown steadily for the second edition.
"You can gauge the popularity of women's cricket by the fact that in the first season they were giving out tickets for free," Bangalore fan Asif Chaudhary, 34, told AFP outside the stadium.
"But this time you can't get tickets, even if you want to buy them."