Smriti Mandhana Was Down With 103 Degree Fever Before WPL 2026 Final, Nobody In RCB Knew About Illness
Smriti Mandhana was at her aggressive best in the Women's Premier League (WPL) 2026 final
Smriti Mandhana was at her aggressive best in the Women's Premier League (WPL) 2026 final. The Royal Challengers Bengaluru skipper smashed a 41-ball 87 as her team chased down a 204-run target against the Delhi Capitals in 19.4 overs. Mandhana finished as the highest run-scorer of the WPL 2026 after leading her side to their second title at the BCA Stadium in Vadodara on Thursday. The 29-year-old ended the season with 377 runs in nine innings and claimed the Orange Cap for the first time.
Mandhana scored her runs at an average of 53.86 and a strike rate of 150. Her highest individual score of the season (96 off 61 balls) came against the Delhi Capitals during the league stage. She also played a match-winning knock of 87 in the final, helping RCB lift the trophy for the second time after their maiden title in the 2024 season.
After the match, the RCB coach revealed that Smriti had been running a fever a day before the final.
"Smriti, thank you so much for being such a wonderful captain and for turning up for this game without any complaints. I know how ill you were last night. The effort you put in... For people who didn't know, she had a fever of 103 degree F last evening," said RCB coach Malolan Rangarajan in his dressing-room speech.
He went on to say that Mandhana saved her best innings for the final.
"Massive, massive flu. She was seriously unwell with a high fever. But she turned up and didn't show it - nobody in the team knew. Not for a second did she show it. That's the person Smriti is. When I spoke to her this afternoon, she said, 'Nahi, Malo, koi problem nahi (No, Malo, there's no problem), I'll be there.' That's her work ethic," Rangarajan said after the six-wicket win.
"I think she saved one of her best innings for the final," he added. "The way she batted was... inhuman? I don't even know the right word. So classy, so elegant. When you watched her, you could see she was in complete control. She was timing the ball beautifully, picking the pockets she wanted to attack. She trained two days before the game, and we had been talking a lot about her batting and how she was feeling. I believe her last training session on Wednesday was one of the best she has had."
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Women's Delhi Capitals