WPL 2026: Mandhana lauds Bell’s ‘match-winning’ spell in final

Smriti_Mandhana
Smriti_Mandhana (PC:X)

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) captain Smriti Mandhana credited Lauren Bell for bowling a ‘match-winning’ spell in the high-scoring final of the WPL 2026, which they won by six wickets against Delhi Capitals (DC) in Vadodara.

All their bowlers were taken to the cleaners by the DC batters in the first innings, as a total of 203/4 was piled up in the allotted 20 overs. Although Bell did not take a wicket, she was economical in a high-scoring match, conceding just 19 runs from her four overs at an economy rate of 4.75.

Speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony, Player of the Match Mandhana said:

“Yeah, we definitely did think it was a good surface to bat on. But of course, 200-plus in a final is definitely a good score. I thought that in the last four overs, we definitely bowled well and pulled it back a little better. Again, credit to Lauren Bell. I mean, 400 runs in a match and she goes for around 20 runs in four overs. For me, that is the match-winning spell.”

In the run chase, RCB lost Grace Harris early. From there, captain Mandhana and Georgia Voll took responsibility and rebuilt the innings with a partnership of 165 runs off 92 balls, which proved instrumental in RCB’s win. Mandhana scored a brilliant 87 off 41 balls, including 12 fours and three sixes, at a strike rate of 212.20, while Voll made 79 off 54 balls with the help of 14 fours at a strike rate of 146.30.

Mandhana also praised Voll, saying her extra time in the nets had paid off.

“Yeah, of course, Volly led the way,” Mandhana said. “She had almost all the strike in the powerplay, but her intent was really spot on. I remember telling the girls 10 or 15 days back that I had a feeling Volly would get a match-winning knock in the final, and I’m really happy for her. She’s been working extremely hard on her game. I saw her practising extra over the last two or three days, so I’m happy that it paid off for her.”

 

Also read- T20 World Cup 2026: “He can be Player of the Tournament” – Ponting backs Abhishek Sharma

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