WPL 2024: Smriti Mandhana was left in a state of disbelief, later shedding tears of joy as she embraced her teammates, while Harmanpreet Kaur struggled to contain her emotions.
Indeed, the world of sports can be unforgiving, as evidenced by the contrasting emotions displayed by two captains who represent the same national team. In a thrilling T20 clash at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi, Royal Challengers Bangalore triumphed over defending champions Mumbai Indians by five runs in the Eliminator, securing their first-ever final berth in the Women’s Premier League.
Smriti Mandhana, visibly overwhelmed, was initially in disbelief and later found herself shedding tears of joy as she embraced her teammates in celebration. On the other hand, Harmanpreet Kaur, while congratulating the victorious RCB players, was seen struggling to contain her emotions, a poignant reminder of the highs and lows that come with the territory in competitive sports.
Will you bowl the last over?
— Women's Premier League (WPL) (@wplt20) March 16, 2024
Of course I can?
Hear from Captain @mandhana_smriti & Asha Shobhana on the final-over call that successfully paid off for @RCBTweets ?#TATAWPL | #MIvRCB | #Eliminator pic.twitter.com/IqKs8cY7xb
During the chase of 136, there was a moment when the Mumbai Indians appeared to be in a commanding position. With seven wickets still in hand and their captain, Harmanpreet, in a good form, along with Amelia Kerr, who had just hit two boundaries off Georgia Wareham, the team seemed well on track. Harmanpreet then added two more boundaries against Ellyse Perry, bringing the required runs down to just 20 as Mumbai approached the final three overs of the match.
In a late comeback, RCB’s Shreyanka Patil delivered a brilliant 18th over, allowing only four singles and claiming the crucial wicket of Harmanpreet. Following suit, Sophie Molineux replicated the feat in the 19th over, removing S Sanjana for a mere 1 run. This set up a tense situation for MI, with 12 runs needed off the final over.
In a gripping finale, RCB captain Mandhana turned to Asha Sobhana for the last over, who delivered superbly, conceding just four runs in the first three balls. She then deceived Pooja Vastrakar with a loopy leg-break, resulting in a stumping on the fourth ball.
With eight needed from two balls, Amanjot Kaur could only manage a single, leaving Kerr on strike. Despite the pressure, Kerr remained composed. However, her attempted lofted shot off the final delivery resulted in only a single as MI fell short by five runs.
Following the tense climax, Mandhana and her teammates were jubilant, while Harmanpreet displayed contrasting emotions, reflecting the rollercoaster of emotions in sports.
Reflecting on the match, Mandhana praised her team’s bowling and fielding efforts, especially Asha’s final over heroics.
RCB will now face Delhi Capitals in the WPL 2024 final, aiming to clinch the title in a highly anticipated showdown.