Vadodara

Former New Zealand cricketer Katey Martin has said that Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) stand on the brink of a historic achievement, with a chance to complete a rare double by winning both the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the Women’s Premier League (WPL) titles.

RCB, who already hold the IPL title under the captaincy of Rajat Patidar, are set to face Delhi Capitals (DC) in the WPL final after DC defeated Gujarat Giants in the eliminator on Tuesday. A victory would give RCB their second WPL crown and make them the first franchise to simultaneously hold both the IPL and WPL titles.

Speaking on Match Centre Live, JioStar expert Martin highlighted the significance of the moment. “I wonder if RCB can do the double of the IPL and WPL, and how special that would be. The Bengaluru crowd turns up at the Chinnaswamy Stadium and follows RCB wherever they go. You even see RCB jerseys at neutral venues. The whole city supports both the men’s and women’s teams, and that makes it very special,” she said, while noting that Delhi Capitals carry strong momentum into the final.

Martin also underlined the importance of domestic players in tournament success. “Overseas players can win you matches in big moments, but domestic players are the backbone of a team and ultimately win you tournaments,” she added.

She described the final as an intriguing contest, particularly with Indian stars Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues—close friends off the field—set to face each other in a high-stakes clash.

In the eliminator, Delhi Capitals won the toss and opted to bowl, reducing Gujarat Giants to 59 for 4 in 8.4 overs. Beth Mooney steadied the innings with an unbeaten 62 off 51 balls, forging a 61-run partnership with Georgia Wareham (35 off 25). Mooney later added valuable runs with Kashvee Gautam (18 off 10) to take Gujarat to 168 for 7. Chinelle Henry was the standout bowler for DC, picking up 3 for 35.

Chasing 169, DC got off to a blistering start as Lizelle Lee (43 off 24) and Shafali Verma (31 off 21) put on 89 runs in just 7.1 overs. The chase was then guided home by Laura Wolvaardt (32* off 24) and captain Jemimah Rodrigues (41 off 23), who added 68 runs for the third wicket. Marizanne Kapp sealed the win with the finishing runs, with DC completing the chase with three wickets and 26 balls to spare.

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Jemimah Rodrigues was named Player of the Match. Delhi Capitals will now face defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the WPL final on Thursday in Vadodara.