WPL 2024 final: Will Smriti Mandhana's RCB Women go one better than Anil Kumble's 2009 Royal Challengers Bangalore IPL team?

WPL 2024 stats: Smriti Mandhana is the fifth-highest run scorer this season, with 269 runs across nine matches including the WPL 2024 Eliminator against the Mumbai Indians. (Image source: X/Virat de Villiers @imVKohli83)

With Smriti Mandhana’s Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) making the final of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2024, the second iteration of the five-team competition, parallels arose with the men’s team of the franchise qualifying for the final of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in the then eight-team tournament’s second iteration. This, more so, given both RCB Men and Women had finished second-last in the inaugural edition of their respective tournaments.

Can Royal Challengers Bangalore - Women do better than RCB Men in Season 2 of the premier league?

Ahead of Sunday’s Women's Premier League (WPL) 2024 final, Smriti Mandhana underscored that RCB Women had been cognisant of drawing a line of difference between the two teams leading into WPL 2024 and that ahead of her side's face-off against Meg Lanning’sDelhi Capitals in the title clash, their stance remained unaltered.

“This year it was very important for us to not connect to the whole franchise and (dwell on) what happened with the men's side because sometimes it puts added pressure,” said Mandhana on Saturday at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi during the pre-final captains’ presser. “We were just thinking that we're only two seasons into it, so let's not take too much stress about what's happened over the last 15 years or go relating with (the similarities).

“Our last 25 days' conversation has always been about enjoying eachothers' company and really focusing on the processes and training well. This doesn’t change anything. We don't want to change anything overnight just because it's the final. We'll still go out today and train the way we have in the last 25 days and come out really strong tomorrow."

RCB earned their entry into the final by scripting a thrilling five-run victory in a successful 135-run defence against defending champions Mumbai Indians in the Eliminator on Friday. Asked if there was a “gurumantra” (magic formula) behind the three tight overs delivered by the RCB attack towards the close of Friday’s humdinger, Mandhana said: “I wish there was, because it would have been so much easier then.

“But definitely, Harman's (Mumbai captain Harmanpreet Kaur) wicket (in the 18th over) was very crucial. One-thirty-odd is a target that either makes you too defensive or too attacking and if you decided to take a middle gear, wickets tend to fall. We knew 130 (135) could be a tricky target to chase.

“But yeah, if I knew a magic formula, we would have won quite a few more games. But I don't think I can take any credit for the last three overs under pressure. Shreyanka (Patil), Sophie (Molineux) and Asha (Sobhana) were really amazing in their last overs. If I really had a magic formula, (I) think I would have bowled myself. Credit to them for showing the character and delivering for the team, it was really good to watch.”

How did RCB men do in the 2nd editions of IPL in 2009?

Then captain of the Royal Challengers Bangalore, Anil Kumble led a valiant fight in the final of the second edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) against the Deccan Chargers on May 24, 2009, in Johannesburg.

Kumble bowled out Adam Gilchrist, who went for duck in the very first over of the game. He also bowled out another cricketing great Andrew Symonds (33 runs off 21 deliveries), before dismissing Rohit Sharma (24 runs off 23 balls, and a strike rate of 104.34) and Venugopal Rao. The Deccan Chargers still put 143 runs on the board, thanks to Herschelle Gibbs' unbeaten 53 off 48 balls, including three boundaries and two sixes.

The RCB batting line-up had greats like Rahul Dravid (he scored 9 runs in this final), Virat Kohli (7 off 8 balls, including a boundary), Jacques Kallis (15) and Robin Uthappa (17 not-out) - but everything changed after the 10th over: the wickets fell quickly, and the runs came more slowly than required. In the end, RCB batted the full 20 overs but managed to put only 137 runs on the board.

Bhubaneswar-born Pragyan Ojha took three wickets for the Chargers in that match, and Harmeet Singh Bansal dismissed Rahul Dravid and Mark Boucher.

RCB vs Deccan Chargers was neck-and-neck for the better part, with the 100 coming up for RCB in the 88 balls vs 89 for Deccan Chargers. Gibbs' 50 for the Chargers and the fall of Rahul Dravid's wicket made all the difference - and the final went to the Chargers.

Anil Kumble was Player of the Match. And Adam Gilchrist, with 495 runs, was picked as Player of the Series.

In 2024, RCB Women find themselves in the final of the second edition of WPL - also RCB Women's first shot at the title. They will look to avoid the fall of wickets which caused the implosion in RCB Men's team in the 2009 final.

WPL 2024 | RCB Women vs Delhi Capitals: Head to head clashes so far

DC have won the last four matches they played against RCB Women. Their latest clash was on March 13, when DC - led by Meg Lanning - chased a score of 150, to win the match with just two balls remaining. Even Ellyse Perry's unbeaten 67 off 52 balls couldn't pull RCB ahead.

To be sure, DC have been on a roll this WPL season. They've lost just one of their eight matches so far. Their net run rate has been over +1 for the entire season - the second best NRR currently is RCB's at +0.306.

WPL 2024 Prediction | DC vs RCB: who will win the final?

Barring the first match of this WPL season, DC have been decimating their opposition. RCB, on the other hand, have seen mixed results over the last three weeks. Having said, at this point, this could be either team's final to lose.

This WPL season, teams have scored as low as 107 (Gujarat Giants, against Royal Challengers Bangalore) and as high as 199 (also Gujarat Giants, against Royal Challengers Bangalore).

RCB's highest score this season: 198, against the UP Warriorz on March 4. (RCB won by 23 runs; Smriti Mandhana hit 80 runs off 50 balls, and was chosen Player of the Match.)

DC's highest score this season: 194, against RCB on February 29. (DC won that match by 25 runs; Marizanne Kapp got Player of the Match for bowling figures of 2/35 [4 over] and putting up 32 runs off 16 balls)