RCB Clinches First Franchise Title: Kohli Video-Calls to Congratulate
The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) franchise made history on Sunday by winning their first league title. RCB, which began playing league cricket in 2008, achieved success with the women’s team after 16 years. The team defeated Delhi Capitals (DC) in the final of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) to clinch the title.
Former captain of the men’s team, Virat Kohli, congratulated Smriti Mandhana, the captain of the women’s team, on RCB’s victory. After the final match, Virat made a video call and congratulated the entire team, along with Mandhana. Mandhana also said after the match, “This time it’s not about the cup’s name, it’s about owning the cup.
Mandhana Delighted Seeing Kohli Happy
After the match, in the press conference, Mandhana said, “I couldn’t quite hear Virat’s words properly during the video call. There was a lot of noise in the stadium, but his face showed happiness. Seeing him happy made me feel good. After a poor last season, he talked to the entire team and instilled confidence in us. When I arrived in Bangalore, I had a good conversation with him.”
Not ‘This Year’s Cup’, But ‘This Year’s Cupholder’
Smriti Mandhana expressed her gratitude to her fans as she received the WPL championship trophy. She said, “I’ve never seen such loyal fans of RCB. Every year, everyone used to say, ‘This year’s cup’, but this time it’s ‘This year’s cupholder.’ Finally, we’ve won the cup.”
“‘This Year’s Cup’ is a phrase in Kannada language meaning ‘This year’s cup is ours.’ Whereas ‘This Year’s Cupholder’ means ‘This year’s cup has been won by us.’ Along with winning the cup, celebrations began in the city of Bengaluru. Fans chanted ‘RCB-RCB’ all night long, and the video of it has gone viral on social media platforms.”
Kohli Arrives in India on Sunday
Indian cricket star Virat Kohli arrived in India on Sunday. He had traveled to London with his wife Anushka and daughter Vamika for the birth of their second child, Akay, born on February 15. Consequently, Kohli had taken a break from international cricket and did not participate in the Test series against England.
Kohli is expected to join the RCB training camp shortly. He has been a part of RCB since 2008 and has played a significant role for the team. While he led RCB to the IPL finals in 2009 and 2011, the team fell short of victory. In 2016, under his captaincy, RCB made it to the finals again but lost to Hyderabad by 8 runs.
RCB’s Franchise History: Runner-Up Four Times
RCB has participated in three different tournaments throughout its franchise history: IPL, CLT20, and WPL. The men’s team has reached the final three times in IPL and once in CLT20 but has never been able to clinch the championship title. In 2011, RCB made it to the final of the Champions League but faced defeat against the Mumbai Indians.
However, in the current season, the team has achieved success in the Women’s Premier League (WPL). In the inaugural season, despite finishing fourth in the standings, the team failed to qualify for the playoffs.
Spinners and Pari Guide RCB to Victory
In Sunday’s match at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium, DC took the first batting opportunity. The team managed to score 61 runs without losing any wickets in 6 overs, with Shefali Verma contributing 44 runs before getting out. However, thereafter, the team lost the last 9 wickets for just 52 runs, ending their innings at 113 all out, with the spinners taking 9 wickets.
RCB chased down the target of 114 runs in 19.3 overs with the loss of 2 wickets. Captain Smriti Mandhana scored 31, Sophie Devine scored 32, and Alice Perry scored 35 runs. Wicketkeeper Richa Ghosh ended the inning with a winning shot of 17 runs, steering the team towards victory.
Alice Perry Wins Orange Cap for Most Runs in RCB
In the tournament, RCB’s Alice Perry won the Orange Cap for scoring the most runs. Meanwhile, 21-year-old Shreyanka Patil clinched the Emerging Player of the Season award. She also won the Purple Cap for taking the most wickets, securing a total of 13 wickets.
