Image Credit- AFP
A week ago today,
Richa Ghosh was sitting immobile on the ground after getting run out on the
final ball in a thrilling match that saw Delhi Capitals defeat Royal
Challengers Bangalore by one run. Ghosh’s batting partner Shreyanka Patil wept
uncontrollably across the other end. The playoffs for RCB have been extremely
close.
Ghosh scored the game-winning runs on Sunday night to help RCB win their
first-ever WPL title. Meanwhile, Shreyanka claimed four wickets, including Meg
Lanning, to earn the Purple Cap for taking the most wickets in the season.
while being advised against it by doctors, Shreyanka entered the Eliminator and
the championship match while having a hairline fracture.
She forced herself
to play through pain when it counted. She led the squad’s dance routines on the
podium as the team celebrated in front of a jam-packed Arun Jaitley Stadium.
One of the people who was persuaded to shake a leg was the captain, Smriti Mandhana.
“The feeling hasn’t sunk in, maybe it’ll take time,” Mandhana said at
the post-match presentation. “It’s hard to come out with a lot of
expressions at the moment. The only thing I want to say is how proud I am of
the bunch. We’ve been through ups and downs, the way they stuck together and
got us through the line was amazing to watch.”
Mandhana oversaw
five losses to start the competition last year, crushing RCB’s chances of
making the playoffs. She failed to record even one half-century during the
event, making it one to forget. This time, she finishes behind Ellyse Perry as
the second-highest run scorer.
Her final-inning 39-ball 31 supported RCB’s meagre 114-run chase. They only
needed a respectable 32 off 30 balls after she was dismissed, which Perry and
Ghosh achieved with three balls remaining.
“The Bangalore
leg was really good, we won three out of five, but in Delhi we had two tough
losses,” Mandhana said as she reflected on their campaign. “We spoke
of how our last three games were effectively like a quarterfinals, semi-final and
final. We had to step up at the right time. In tournaments like these, you need
to peak at the right time, maybe we saved our best for the last.”
Mandhana described
the WPL title as a moment “definitely in my top five.”
“I think for RCB it’s a lot more,” she said. “I’m not the only
won who has won the trophy, the team has won it. To win it as a franchise is
really special. It hasn’t sunk in yet, but it feels definitely like one of the
top five moments. Definitely a World Cup win will top it.”
As she was about to collect the trophy, Mandhana paused for a second and then
thanked the franchise’s loyal fan base. “We’ve always heard that one
statement always ‘Ee Sala Cup Namde.’ I want to say now, ‘Ee Sala Cup
Namdu.”