Royal Challengers Bengaluru were up against UP Warriorz, led by skipper Meg Lanning, in match 5 of Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026. Both sides had a similar start to their campaign, with contrasting results heading into this clash. Skipper Smriti Mandhana won the toss and opted to bowl first at the DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai.
Lauren Bell led the charge yet again in the power play, maintaining the lid on the scoring rate while also picking up the wicket of Harleen Deol, a promotion to the opening slot for her didn’t work for the UP Warriorz. The Meg Lanning-led side found themselves in deep trouble at 50/5 in the 9th over of the innings, staring at getting bundled out before their quota of 20 overs.
Deandra Dottin (40*) joined Deepti Sharma (45*) at the crease in the 9th over of the innings. The duo played sensibly, kept their calm and focused on taking the innings deep, building a solid partnership. The pair steered their team to a fighting total of 143/5 in their quota of 20 overs, giving their bowlers something to bowl at. Nadine de Klerk (4-0-28-2) and Shreyanka Patil (4-0-50-2) picked up a couple of wickets each with the ball for their side.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s openers, skipper Smriti Mandhana (47*) and Grace Harris (85), in particular, hammered the UP Warriorz bowlers all over the park with a brutal and ruthless display of fearless power-hitting. The pair almost sealed the deal before the departure of Grace Harris in the 12th over of the innings. Wicket-keeper batter Richa Ghosh arrived and completed the formalities to seal the run chase with 9 wickets and 47 balls to spare, registering the biggest margin of victory for RCB in the WPL.
Top Performers: WPL Match 5: Royal Challengers Bengaluru Vs UP Warriorz
Lauren Bell
The England speedster is having a dream start to her WPL career, representing the Royal Challengers Bengaluru. She began her WPL stint by bowling a maiden in the first over of her WPL career, against the 2-time champions, the Mumbai Indians. She returned with sensational match figures (4-1-14-1) in her spell on debut at the DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai, on 9th January 2026. She followed that up with yet another eye-catching performance in the power play, drying up the runs and building pressure. The pressure led to the departure of Harleen Deol (11 off 14 balls) in the 5th over of the innings. RCB only conceded 36 runs in the power play, and Lauren Bell’s opening bursts with the ball were the main key factors of their success in the power play this season. She returned with outstanding match figures (4-0-16-1) in her spell at the DY Patil Stadium.
Grace Harris
Grace Harris moved from UP Warriorz to Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the mega auctions on 27th November 2025 for the upcoming 4th season. She wasted no time in delivering a decisive impact against her former franchise, reminding them of the talent and potential they missed out on during their retentions. The bowlers did the job in setting up a massive opportunity for the Smriti Mandhana-led side to seal a thumping win. Grace Harris walked out yet again to open the innings alongside skipper Smriti Mandhana, chasing a total of 144. The Warriorz opened their bowling attack with the off spin of Deepti Sharma, defending an average total of 144.
Grace Harris wasted no time in showcasing her attacking intentions right from ball one, smashing the off-spinners tossed-up delivery straight down the ground for a boundary to kickstart the run chase. It didn’t take long for skipper Smriti Mandhana to take a backseat and enjoy the power-hitting masterclass from the other end as Grace Harris smashed the fastest half-century of the ongoing season off just 21 balls en route to smashing Deandra Dottin for a record-equaling 32 runs in the final over of the powerplay, which included a couple of boundaries and 3 maximums. The RCB opening pair nailed the hammer on the UP Warriorz hopes of a comeback with a massive 137-run opening stand, before the eventual departure of Grace Harris (85 off 40 balls) in the 12th over of the run chase. She smashed 10 boundaries and 5 maximums in her knock.
Deepti Sharma
Deepti Sharma came in at a crucial stage in the game against RCB with her side in deep trouble at 50/3 in the 8th over, which was further derailed at 50/5 in the 9th over of the innings. She was later joined by Deandra Dottin at the crease, and the Indian all-rounder anchored the innings alongside Deandra Dottin and led the recovery, taking the innings deep courtesy of finding gaps and rotating strike. The pair guided their side to a respectable total, forming an unbeaten 93* runs partnership for the 6th wicket as the UP Warriorz finished their innings at 143/5 in their quota of 20 overs. Deepti Sharma 45* (35 balls) chipped in with a crucial knock for her side. Her knock included 5 boundaries and a maximum.
She kept things tight with the ball in hand, returning with match figures (3.1-0-25-0) in her spell. However, she wasn’t able to provide the breakthroughs due to a lack of pressure from the other end and a low total on the board. The Warriorz eventually suffered a heavy defeat, their 2nd consecutive loss in the ongoing edition under the iconic new skipper Meg Lanning.
Deandra Dottin
The power-packed Caribbean all-rounder displayed an unusual version of the game, where she had to successfully curb her natural instincts to power the ball over the ropes and launch a counterattack on the opposition. Joining Deepti Sharma at the crease with her side in deep trouble at 50/5 in the 9th over of the innings, she battled her way to a much-needed partnership of 93 for the 6th wicket, taking her side to a respectable total. She stayed unbeaten on 40* (37 balls), including 3 boundaries and a maximum in her knock.
In her bowling stint, she was on the receiving end of the brutal and ruthless Grace Harris onslaught, being smacked for a WPL record-equaling 32 runs in the final over of the powerplay in the 2nd innings. The UP Warriorz eventually suffered another heartbreaking defeat.
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