The fifth match of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 was a masterclass in dominance by Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), who dismantled UP Warriorz by nine wickets. Played at the DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai, the game was essentially a tale of two halves: a gritty recovery by the Warriorz followed by a relentless, record-breaking assault by the RCB openers. While UP managed to set a respectable target after a disastrous start, they were ultimately spectators to a Grace Harris storm that ended the contest with nearly eight overs to spare.
Winning the toss and electing to bowl first, Smriti Mandhana’s bowlers justified the decision almost immediately. The Warriorz found themselves in a nightmare scenario, collapsing from 39/1 to a precarious 50/5 in a matter of just eight deliveries. The RCB seamers and spinners hunted in packs, with Shreyanka Patil (2/18) and Nadine de Klerk (2/22) doing the heavy lifting. Key wickets like Meg Lanning and Phoebe Litchfield fell cheaply, leaving the Warriorz middle order exposed and the team staring at a sub-100 total.
However, the Warriorz found their saviors in Deepti Sharma and the veteran Deandra Dottin. The duo stitched together a vital, unbeaten 93-run partnership for the sixth wicket to breathe life back into the contest. Deepti played the anchor with a steady 45* off 35 balls, while Dottin provided the muscle, finishing on 40* off 37. Their late-inning acceleration, which saw them plunder 67 runs in the final six overs, allowed UP to finish at 143/5—a total that felt competitive given the early carnage.
Any hopes of a UP comeback were swiftly extinguished once the second innings began. Grace Harris, promoted to open the batting, played an innings for the ages. She was particularly brutal against Deandra Dottin, smashing her for 32 runs in a single over during the Powerplay. Harris reached her fifty in just 22 balls, clearing the ropes with terrifying ease. Alongside her, captain Smriti Mandhana played a serene supporting role, remaining unbeaten on 47* off 32 balls with nine elegant boundaries.
The opening pair put on a massive 137-run stand, ensuring the chase was never in doubt. Harris was eventually dismissed for a blistering 85 off just 40 balls, an innings decorated with 10 fours and 5 sixes. By the time she departed, the game was a mere formality. RCB crossed the finish line in just 12.1 overs, finishing at 145/1. This victory was not just a win but a statement, marking RCB’s fastest successful chase in their WPL history and propelling them to the top of the points table.
With two wins in two games, RCB looks like the team to beat this season, showing balance in both their bowling discipline and batting firepower. For UP Warriorz, it’s back to the drawing board as they search for their first points; while their middle-order resilience was a positive, their bowling unit simply had no answers for the Harris-Mandhana onslaught.
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