In the 5th Match of the WPL 2026 edition, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru will take on the UP Warriorz on January 12th at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai at 7:30 PM (IST). The thrilling encounter is all set to take shape as the Royal Challengers Bengaluru kicked off their campaign with a last-ball victory over the defending champions, Mumbai Indians, and on the other hand, UP Warriorz lost their opening fixture against the Gujarat Giants by 10 runs, in a high-voltage chase. Both teams will be looking to build momentum and secure those two points to climb the ladder.
Squads:
UP Warriorz Women’s Cricket Team
Meg Lanning, Harleen Deol, Deandra Dottin, Sophie Ecclestone, Kranti Goud, Shipra Giri, Charli Knott, Phoebe Litchfield, Suman Meena, Kiran Navgire, Shikha Pandey, Pratika Rawal, Shweta Sehrawat, Deepti Sharma, Simran Shaikh, Trisha Gongadi, Chloe Tryon, Asha Sobhana.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru Women’s Cricket Team
Smriti Mandhana (C), Lauren Bell, Nadine de Klerk, Richa Ghosh, Grace Harris, Dayalan Hemalatha, Gautami Naik, Shreyanka Patil, Kumari Prathyusha, Prema Rawat, Arundhati Reddy, Sayali Satghare, Linsey Smith, Pooja Vastrakar, Georgia Voll, Radha Yadav.
Players to Watch Out For:
1) Lauren Bell
Lauren Bell, the English right-arm pace bowler, has been sensational in recent years and was bagged by RCB in the 2026 WPL auction. In her T20I career, she has picked up 50 wickets from 36 innings, at an economy of 7. Bell made her WPL debut in the inaugural match against the Mumbai Indians, and she just stunned the defending champions in the power play. Lauren Bell had bowled 19 dot balls in her spell, including a maiden and the wicket of Amelia Kerr. Lauren Bell could be one of the best bowlers in the tournament if she can continue her run.
2) Nadine de Klerk
Nadine de Klerk, the South African all-rounder, had been in tremendous international form coming into the WPL 2026. In her T20I career, she has scored 667 runs from 50 innings, at a strike rate of 107, and she has also picked up 52 wickets at an economy of 7. Moving into the game against the Mumbai Indians, Nadine de Klerk had only played one WPL match prior. She won the player of the match award as she scored 63 runs and picked up 4 wickets in the match. Nadine de Klerk is an absolute match-winner, and RCB will be banking their hopes on her with both bat and ball.
3) Sophie Ecclestone
Sophie Ecclestone, the English international and arguably one of the best spinners in World cricket, is set to feature against the RCB. In her T20I career, she has picked up 142 wickets from 100 innings at an economy of 5. She has been excellent in the WPL, picking up 38 wickets from 26 innings at an economy rate of just 6. In her most recent performance against the Giants, she picked up 2 wickets from her 4 overs at an economy of 8. Sophie would be a player to watch out for with her ability to trap batters and provide some quick runs towards the end.
4) Phoebe Litchfield
Phoebe Litchfield, the Australian left-handed batter, has been sensational for the Australian side with her consistent performances. In her T20I career, she has scored 442 runs from 22 innings with a strike rate of 140. She has been consistent in the WPL as well, with 277 runs from 15 innings at a strike rate of 129. In her most recent match against the Giants, she scored 78 runs off 40 balls, which made her side take the chase deep into the innings. The Warriorz will be hoping Litchfield carries her form in the tournament and takes the side to the playoffs.
Pitch Report:
The DY Patil Stadium surface favours batting, and the bowlers will be able to extract some bounce early on. The pacers tend to get some shape with the new ball, and the spinners come into the act once the ball gets soft, especially after the power play. Teams winning the toss will generally opt to have a bowl first.
Weather Report:
The weather report shows clear skies all around with no real threat of rain. The temperature is set to range from 27 °C°F to 29°C°F. The wind speed is expected at 11km/h, meaning there’s no real obstacle for a smooth flow of play during the match.
Fantasy XI:
Smriti Mandhana, Grace Harris, Phoebe Litchfield, Richa Ghosh, Shweta Sehrawat, Nadine De Klerk, Deepti Sharma, Shreyanka Patil, Asha Sobhana, Lauren Bell, Shikha Pandey
Match Details:
Date – January 12, 2026
Time – 7:30 PM IST
Venue – Dr DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai
Broadcast – Telecast on Star Sports Network | Streaming on Jio Hotstar (India)
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