Shafali scored 22 off 13 balls.
Richa Ghosh produced a moment of brilliance in the RCB vs DC WPL 2026 final with an outstanding catch that dismissed swashbuckling opener Shafali Verma in Vadodara on Thursday, February 5.
The incident happened when the Delhi Capitals openers began to fire after a slow start. Pacer Arundhati Reddy bowled a good-length ball outside off, which bounced slightly. Shafali, who was on fire, aimed to swipe across the line but was caught off guard by the slower speed. The bat only produced a faint nick, but what happened next was pure class. Standing close to the stumps, Richa Ghosh reacted quickly and grabbed a sharp catch, following the basics of standing up with the ball to grab it.
Shafali scored 20 runs off 13 balls with a strong strike rate of 153.85, hitting three fours. After she left, DC was doing well at 49/1 in 5.5 overs. Laura Wolvaardt came in to replace Shafali.
Earlier, RCB captain Smriti Mandhana won the toss and chose to bowl. Including the final, teams winning the toss have opted to bowl first in 21 of the 22 matches. Both teams remained unchanged for the final match.
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The RCB vs DC WPL 2026 final is being played on the same surface that hosted the Eliminator, where the Jemimah-led side comfortably chased down 169 against Gujarat Giants (GG) with 26 balls to spare.
RCB are chasing their second WPL title, having defeated DC in the 2024 final after restricting them to 113. Delhi, meanwhile, are desperate to break their jinx, playing their fourth consecutive final in search of a maiden silverware. Notably, despite DC holding a 6–3 head-to-head advantage over RCB, the Smriti Mandhana-led side are favourites to lift the trophy, thanks to their dominating run in the group stages.
RCB stormed into the WPL 2026 final on the back of six wins from an eight-match league phase, becoming the second team win six matches in the group stages. Having already clinched the title in 2024 against the same opponent, RCB know how to cross the finishing line. Despite the absence of Ellyse Perry, RCB had an almost perfect season, winning their first five games. A small setback where they lost to DC once was followed by a dominant victory over the UP Warriorz to finish the league stage.
On the other hand, the road to a fourth final has been tough for the Delhi Capitals. They lost three of their first four games, and suffered two surprising defeats in the final, bowled by Sophie Devine when needed seven-odd runs in the final over. However, they bounced back in style and ultimately succeeded in reaching the Eliminator, where they got revenge on the GG with nearly perfect play.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Lizelle Lee(w), Shafali Verma, Laura Wolvaardt, Jemimah Rodrigues(c), Marizanne Kapp, Chinelle Henry, Niki Prasad, Sneh Rana, Minnu Mani, Shree Charani, Nandani Sharma
Delhi Capitals: Grace Harris, Smriti Mandhana(c), Georgia Voll, Richa Ghosh(w), Radha Yadav, Nadine de Klerk, Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Sayali Satghare, Shreyanka Patil, Lauren Bell
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