Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Women’s WPL 2026 title win was the result of a season built on consistency and calm execution under pressure. They had booked their place in the final earlier than any other team, topping the points table and giving themselves valuable time to prepare while the rest of the league scrambled for playoff spots.
That sense of control carried into the final against Delhi Capitals in Vadodara, where DC posted a challenging 203 for 4. In response, RCB produced a composed chase, reaching 204 for 4 in 19.4 overs to win by six wickets and complete the highest successful chase in a WPL final.
The numbers told only part of the story. Smriti Mandhana and Georgia Voll’s defining partnership steadied the innings after an early wicket, ensuring the required rate never spiralled. Even as Delhi applied pressure late in the chase, RCB trusted their plans, ran hard between the wickets, and stayed brave in decisive moments. It was a performance shaped by awareness and intent rather than panic, and one that reflected a team fully prepared for the occasion.
That mindset, RCB later revealed, had been reinforced the night before the final. In the team’s group chat, a video message arrived from franchise veteran Virat Kohli, someone whose career has been defined by big stages and the fine margins that decide them. The message, shared by RCB on social media after the title win, did not focus on technique or strategy. Instead, it centred on effort, intent, and the willingness to commit fully when the moment demands it.
“On the field, give everything that you have. Those 1% small things make all the difference at the very end. So, if you have a chance to put your body on the line for that ball, do it.”
Kohli also addressed the temptation to treat the occasion lightly, stressing why players put themselves through the grind of a long season. “I wouldn’t call it just another day. I wouldn’t call it just another game because that’s what we play sport for, the big finals, the big occasions, winning trophies. Small things make all the difference at the very end.”
RCB played with that awareness written all over them. There was no sense of rushing the chase or trying to end it too early. Instead, there was patience, clarity, and an understanding that staying present was more important than chasing glory shots and it reflected through captain Mandhana’s innings. Even when the pressure peaked late in the innings, their approach never wavered.
Kohli’s final message felt particularly telling. “If you have a chance to dive into the crease for that one run, do it. That’s what’s going to count at the end of the day. If you do that, you can walk away from that field with your head held high.”
Those words played out in real time. RCB ran every possible run, pushed the game deep without fear, and committed fully to finishing the job. When the winning runs were finally scored, it felt less like a sudden burst of brilliance and more like the natural outcome of a mindset set well before the first ball was bowled. In a final decided by margins, Kohli’s message had captured exactly what it would take to become champions.
Small things made all the difference at the very end, and that was exactly how RCB had played the entire season. From becoming the first team to qualify for the final, to managing pressure moments with clarity rather than chaos, their campaign was built on attention to detail. They ran harder, fielded sharper, and stayed disciplined when games tightened. The final against Delhi Capitals was not an exception but a culmination of that approach and proved why they deserved to be the champions of the WPL 2026.
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