The 18th match of Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 ignites at Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara on January 29 at 7:30 PM IST, Royal Challengers Bengaluru against UP Warriorz. RCB sits top of the table and has already qualified for the playoffs, but they’ve stumbled in their past two outings, losing to Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians. UP Warriorz, meanwhile, dropped their previous clash to Gujarat Giants, making this a crucial encounter to keep their qualification hopes alive; these two points could make or break their top three push.
Squads:
UP Warriorz Women’s Cricket Team
Meg Lanning (C), Harleen Deol, Deandra Dottin, Sophie Ecclestone, Kranti Goud, Shipra Giri, Charli Knott, Amy Jones, 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:
Meg Lanning
Meg Lanning owns 3405 runs in 132 WT20Is at a strike rate of 116. In 33 WPL games, she amassed 1159 runs at 126, fresh off a classy 70 against Mumbai Indians. Her composure and timing anchor UP Warriorz’s batting, expect her to lead the charge if they bat first on this batter-friendly surface.
Shikha Pandey
Shikha Pandey brings 43 wickets from 62 WT20Is. In 33 WPL matches, she’s claimed 35, with 3/23 her best figure. Her seam movement and experience could exploit RCB’s momentum in the powerplay or death overs.
Richa Ghosh
Richa Ghosh has blazed through 72 WT20Is, piling up 1113 runs at a strike rate of 144. In 33 WPL matches, she notched 808 runs at 151, and she nearly single handedly dragged RCB back in her last game with a blistering 90 against Mumbai Indians. Her explosive finishing could punish any UP slip ups on this high scoring pitch.
Lauren Bell
Lauren Bell, the right-arm fast medium specialist, has snared 50 wickets in 36 WT20Is. Across 7 WPL matches, she’s grabbed 11, including a sharp 3/26 as her best; she took two wickets in her previous outing. Her pace and bounce could rattle UP’s top order early, especially with RCB desperate to end their skid.
Pitch:
Kotambi Stadium boasts a batting friendly pitch that favors stroke makers, especially as the game wears on. It offers a solid base early for fluent play, turning even more explosive later to fuel high scores. Batters settling in thrive, while bowlers toil expect big totals and thrilling chases in this T20 hotspot.
Weather:
Cloudy skies in Vadodara with 10% precipitation chance, winds at 14 kph, and 35% humidity, near perfect conditions for uninterrupted, high-octane action under the lights.
Fantasy Playing XI:
Richa Ghosh, Meg Lanning, Smriti Mandhana, Grace Harris, Nadine de Klerk, Lauren Bell, Shikha Pandey, Deepti Sharma, Sophie Ecclestone, Shreyanka Patil, Kranti Gaud
Match Details:
Date – January 29, 2026
Time – 7:30 PM IST
Venue – Kotambi Stadium, Vadodara
Broadcast – Telecast on Star Sports Network | Streaming on Jio Hotstar (India)
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