The 18th match of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 in Vadodara saw Royal Challengers Bengaluru Women deliver a dominant all-round performance to outclass UP Warriorz Women, sealing an emphatic eight-wicket victory with 41 balls to spare. The contest had moments of resistance from the Warriorz, but RCB’s disciplined bowling and explosive batting ensured the chase was wrapped up with clinical authority.
UP Warriorz began their innings with Meg Lanning and Deepti Sharma, and the pair provided early stability after being asked to bat first. Lanning looked in fine touch, playing crisp strokes to bring up 41 off 30 balls, striking six fours and a six before falling at 74 in the 8.1st over, caught by Radha Yadav off Nadine de Klerk. Deepti Sharma anchored the innings beautifully, compiling a well-constructed 55 off 43 balls with six boundaries, holding the innings together as wickets kept falling around her.
However, UPW lost Amy Jones cheaply for 1 in the 8.5th over, trapped lbw by de Klerk, which halted their momentum. Harleen Deol added 14 off 14 before being dismissed by Grace Harris, while Chloe Tryon struggled to accelerate, scoring 6 off 7 before being stumped by Richa Ghosh off Harris. Shweta Sehrawat contributed 7 off 10 but fell to Lauren Bell at 103 in the 16.1st over. Simran Shaikh chipped in with 10 off 11 before being caught by Reddy off de Klerk in the 19.5th over, while Sophie Ecclestone was dismissed for a golden duck by de Klerk as UPW finished their 20 overs at 143/8.
RCB’s bowling attack was led brilliantly by Nadine de Klerk, who returned outstanding figures of 4 overs for 22 runs and 4 wickets, dismantling the middle and lower order. Grace Harris supported well with 2 wickets for 22 runs in 3 overs, while Lauren Bell and Shreyanka Patil chipped in with a wicket each. Radha Yadav, Sayali Satghare and Arundhati Reddy kept things tight, ensuring UPW never truly broke free.
In reply, Royal Challengers Bengaluru came out with intent and authority. Grace Harris and Smriti Mandhana stitched together a commanding opening partnership, putting UPW on the back foot from the outset. Harris played one of the most destructive knocks of the tournament, hammering 75 off just 37 balls, including 13 fours and 2 sixes, before falling at 108 in the 9.1st over. Mandhana played the perfect supporting role, compiling a fluent 54* off 27 balls, striking eight fours and two sixes, and remained unbeaten till the end as RCB secured a direct spot in the WPL 2026 final.
Georgia Voll added 16 off 15, forming a quick partnership with Mandhana before being dismissed by Asha Sobhana at 143 in the 12.6th over. Richa Ghosh stayed unbeaten as RCB chased down the target in just 13.1 overs, finishing at 147/2.
UPW’s bowling struggled to contain RCB’s aggressive batting, with Shikha Pandey picking up the only notable wicket, conceding 36 runs in her four overs. Asha Sobhana also picked up a wicket, while Deepti Sharma, Sophie Ecclestone, Kranti Gaud and Chloe Tryon were unable to make breakthroughs and were expensive in their spells.
Grace Harris was deservedly named Player of the Match for her blistering 75 and impactful bowling spell, underlining her match-winning ability. With this commanding victory, RCB has secured their spot in the Women’s Premier League 2026 final, while UP Warriorz will need to reassess their bowling and middle-order stability to finish off on a high.
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