In the aftermath of Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCBs) dominant 9-wicket victory over UP Warriorz in WPL 2026 Match 5 at DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai, UP Warriorz head coach Abhishek Nayar faced the media with characteristic candour.
RCB, led by Smriti Mandhana, chased down 144 in just 12.1 overs, powered by Grace Harris’s explosive 85 off 40 balls, her blistering knock against her former team earning her Player of the Match honours. Lauren Bell’s miserly 4-0-16-1 spell dismantled UPW early, stranding them at 50/5 before Deepti Sharma (45* off 35) and Deandra Dottin (40* off 37) salvaged respectability with a 93-run stand.
Nayar owned tactical missteps, praised his fighters, and dismissed excuses in a press conference that blended accountability with optimism for the T20 format’s brutal unpredictability. He didn’t shy away from the batting order experiment that backfired spectacularly.
Promoting Harleen Deol to open against the moving ball aimed to leverage her technique in the powerplay, but she fell for 11 off 14, contributing to UPW’s collapse. “I felt it turned out to be the wrong decision. I take complete responsibility for it,” Nayar admitted, explaining the logic of building solidity early before unleashing power later.
He contextualised the top-order woes as T20 quirks, noting similar collapses in their prior chase of 207. “Today was an anomaly. I like the fact that there was a bit of a fight from Deepti and Dottin later on,” he said, highlighting how women’s cricket’s rising power and fitness levels amplify such swings, especially on a bouncy DY Patil pitch.
Turning to Grace Harris, the Australian powerhouse who fetched RCB at the mega auction after topping UPW’s all-time WPL run charts with 581 runs at 140.33 strike rate, Nayar remained gracious despite the onslaught. Harris’s 85, featuring 10 fours and 5 sixes, including a record-equalling 32 off Dottin in the powerplay, nearly made her WPL’s first centurion.
“I think they played better than us in all three departments. It’s one of those days where nothing worked out for us,” Nayar reflected, adding, “We all knew her potential. We’re happy for Grace.” He brushed off any bitterness, framing it as franchise cricket’s nature where opponents shine.
Nayar was bullish on Shweta Sehrawat’s dual role as wicketkeeper-batter, a strategic “KL Rahul sort of move” to boost her India prospects. With limited options, her glovework in practice against spinners like Deepti Sharma, Sophie Ecclestone, and Asha Sobhana impressed, complementing her flair and power. “I truly believe she has the potential to don the India colours and do exceedingly well,” he said, crediting her hard yards.
On player development amid tight schedules, Nayar pushed back, “No excuses. Every team gets the same. Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get. Today was a dark chocolate, 90% cocoa, so it was quite bitter.” He emphasised leveraging auctions and camps over mid-tournament overhauls, eyeing a brighter Shweta next year amid WPL’s deep Indian talent pool.
Deepti Sharma’s anchoring 45* and economical 3.1-0-25-0 couldn’t stem RCB’s tide, but Nayar shrugged off rigid batting positions post-top-three: “In today’s game, you can’t talk about the batting order so much, only because of the fact that we lost wickets.” With two losses, UPW sit winless, but Nayar’s no-nonsense vibe signals resilience. RCB’s climb to the top with 4 points underscores the format’s fine margins, ones Warriorz aim to flip soon.
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