Virat Kohli Joins Smriti Mandhana and RCB squad in celebrations after WPL 2024 victory
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) celebrates their maiden triumph as Smriti Mandhana-led team secures the franchise’s first silverware in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2024 final. RCB clinched an emphatic victory over Delhi Capitals by eight wickets at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday. With a target of 114 to chase, RCB accomplished their mission with eight wickets and two balls to spare, sparking jubilant celebrations on social media. Ahead of the presentation ceremony, RCB captain Mandhana received a special video call from former men’s team captain and cricket superstar, Virat Kohli.
Kohli, expressing his admiration, took to Instagram to extend his congratulations to the RCB women’s team on their historic IPL success, captioning his story with “Superwomen.” In their pursuit of victory, RCB embarked on their innings cautiously, with Mandhana and Devine laying a solid foundation with a 49-run partnership in 8.1 overs. While Mandhana anchored the innings, Devine showcased aggression, embellishing her knock with five boundaries and a maximum before being dismissed by pacer Shikha Pandey.
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Although Devine’s departure momentarily slowed RCB’s momentum, Perry’s resilience shone through in the 13th over, breaking free with boundaries. Despite Mandhana’s departure, Perry, alongside Richa Ghosh (17 not out), steered RCB towards victory, eventually reaching 115 runs in 19.3 overs. Ghosh’s boundary off Reddy sealed RCB’s historic triumph.
In other cricket news:
Multan Sultans manager’s behaviour causes Journalists to exit PSL 9 final press conference; Video sparks viral outrage
Prior to the PSL 9 final, a group of journalists chose to walk out of Multan Sultan’s press conference following what they deemed as disrespectful conduct from the franchise’s manager. A widely circulated video on social media captured the manager’s refusal to accommodate journalists’ requests, bluntly asserting that those unwilling to stay could freely exit without any repercussions.
The incident unfolded during what was intended to be a press briefing featuring Multan Sultans’ coach Abdul Rehman. However, the manager’s dismissive demeanour prompted several journalists to protest by leaving the premises.
In response to the manager’s remarks, the majority of journalists opted to vacate the press conference in solidarity.
The highly anticipated PSL 2024 final between Multan Sultans and Islamabad United is set to take place on Monday in Karachi. Led by Mohammad Rizwan, Multan Sultans clinched the top spot in the group stage with 7 victories out of 10 matches.
Meanwhile, Islamabad United, despite facing some inconsistency, have seemingly hit form at the opportune moment and are aiming for their 3rd title. Mohammad Rizwan, the tournament’s second-highest run-scorer with 381 runs in 11 matches, will seek to elevate his strike rate of 124.1.
United’s captain, Shadab Khan, has been a key contributor with both bat and ball, accumulating 301 runs and securing 11 wickets in the tournament thus far.
