For Smriti Mandhana, the final at Kotambi Stadium on 5 February 2026 is more than just a shot at another Women’s Premier League (WPL) crown; it is the culmination of a season built on resilience, rhythm, and a quietly burning desire to cement Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) as the defining story of the league’s fourth edition.
Top of the table with 12 points, six wins from eight, a five-match winning streak and a direct entry into the final, RCB arrive in Vadodara as the most complete unit of WPL 2026. Yet, standing across them are the Delhi Capitals, led by Mandhana’s closest friend and “partner-in-crime” off the field, Jemimah Rodrigues, setting up a title clash where sisterhood pauses for 40 overs and legacy takes centre stage.
Few captaincy duels in women’s franchise cricket carry the emotional subtext of Mandhana versus Rodrigues. The two have shared dressing rooms, playlists, and countless laughs; now they share a high-stakes stage. Mandhana, ever composed yet playful, framed the dynamic in her own words: “We need to have some banter. She (Jemimah Rodrigues) can do well; we can win. On the field, we’ll have banters.” It is a line that perfectly captures the mood: affectionate rivalry off the turf, hard-nosed competitiveness once the first ball is bowled.
RCB’s route to the final has been authoritative but not flawless, and Mandhana will be quietly pleased about that. Perfection rarely teaches; a few bruises along the way often shape champions. Bengaluru opened their 2026 campaign with authority, stringing together five consecutive wins that underlined their balance and depth. Twelve points from eight games, six wins and only a couple of defeats, the numbers sketch a side that dominated the league phases and rarely looked unsettled.
Those two losses, however, add welcome steel to the story. First came a seven-wicket defeat to the very side they now meet in the final, a reminder that Delhi carry both firepower and belief. Then, at the same Kotambi Stadium, a 15-run defeat to Harmanpreet Kaur’s Mumbai Indians tested RCB’s temperament in conditions they now know can tighten games quickly. Rather than dent their confidence, the setbacks sharpened their focus. The response said everything: an emphatic eight-wicket win over the UP Warriorz, led by Meg Lanning, on 29 January 2026, sealed top spot.
That victory did more than secure a direct berth in the final, a first for the franchise in WPL history. It reaffirmed that Mandhana’s side could reset, regroup, and dominate when it mattered. For a franchise that once carried the baggage of unfulfilled promise, finishing at the summit and skipping the eliminator feels like a psychological breakthrough almost as significant as the trophy itself.
RCB enter this final not as sentimental favourites but as proven big-game performers. Two years ago, on 17 March 2024, at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, Mandhana led Bengaluru to their maiden WPL title, defeating the Delhi Capitals, then led by Meg Lanning, by eight wickets. That triumph didn’t just break the ceiling in women’s franchise cricket; it ended a 17-year wait across the broader RCB ecosystem for a first major title.
Tonight’s clash, therefore, carries a layered narrative. A win would elevate RCB from one-time champions to a side shaping a mini-dynasty in the early WPL years. A loss would hurt, but it would not erase how Mandhana has rebranded the franchise, from “nearly there” to “consistently here when it counts.” The final in Vadodara is not about chasing ghosts of the past; it is about reinforcing a standard set in 2024 and refined through a season of tactical clarity in 2026.
Smriti Mandhana’s leadership is inseparable from her batting. She has not merely captained; she has set the tone at the top. With 290 runs in eight innings at an average of 48.33 and a strike rate of 141.46, including two half-centuries, she sits as RCB’s leading run-scorer and the third-highest in the entire tournament.
Mandhana’s 2026 campaign has been about calculated aggression rather than reckless flair. Her form gives the RCB dressing room a calm assurance: if the skipper is in, the innings has a spine. For a young group dotted with emerging names and returning faces, that presence at the top is a tactical anchor and an emotional cushion.
Every title tilt needs fresh voices, and RCB’s have come in the form of uncapped Indian batter Gautami Naik. This is her maiden WPL season, yet she has walked into the tournament with the poise of someone who belongs. In four innings, she has amassed 86 runs at an average of 21.50 and a strike rate of 122.85, but the raw numbers only hint at the significance of her contributions.
Her defining night came on 19 January 2026 at the Kotambi Stadium, against the Gujarat Giants led by Ashleigh Gardner. Coming in at number four, Gautami crafted a mature 73 off 55 balls, laced with 7 boundaries and a six. Her innings was the backbone of RCB’s 178/6 in 20 overs, and the 61-run victory that followed underlined the gulf between promise and performance; she firmly occupied the latter. The Player of the Match award was inevitable; the history she made was special. She became the first uncapped Indian to register a half-century in WPL history, a milestone that fits perfectly into Mandhana’s vision of a squad where new stars are not just welcomed, but trusted.
It is no surprise that, when asked about positives from this 2026 journey, Mandhana’s mind went straight to the emerging and returning names: “Gautami Naik, being the first uncapped player to register a half-century in the WPL. Shreyanka Patil is coming back after injury, and what a comeback she’s had, but I’m really looking forward to Pooja Vastrakar, because she’s had one and a half year of injury lay-off, last match was her first game, she did not get to bat, but she’s really looking pumped up, she’s really looking to prove a point. So I’m really excited and happy to see what she can do.”
Even on the eve of a final, Mandhana’s gaze stretches beyond the obvious headline acts, acknowledging the quieter arcs that often decide tight games.
RCB’s bowling story this season has been one of variety, resilience, and a touch of redemption. At its heart sits Shreyanka Patil, whose absence in the 2025 season due to injury left a notable void. Her return in the 2026 edition has added bite to the middle overs. With 11 wickets in eight innings at an average of 22.09 and an economy of 8.52, including her maiden five-wicket haul, Shreyanka is currently RCB’s third-highest wicket-taker. More than the figures, it is her game sense, when to go fuller, when to take pace off, when to challenge the big shot, that has allowed Mandhana to apply the squeeze after the power play.
New-ball control has come from Lauren Bell, whose tournament has been a masterclass in clarity of role. The leading wicket-taker for RCB, Bell has 12 wickets in eight matches at a superb average of 15 and an economy of just 5.62. She currently sits joint fifth on the overall tournament wicket charts, alongside Chinelle Henry from the Delhi Capitals, adding a fascinating subplot to the final. Bell’s ability to extract movement, hit consistent channels, and choke scoring has given RCB a reliable blueprint: early pressure, disciplined middle overs, and enough variety to force mistakes.
Despite the weight of context, a direct final entry, a strong season, and a personal bond with the opposition captain, Mandhana’s public messaging has remained strikingly simple. The focus is on process, not stage. “We have practised really well, everyone’s looking really fresh. The one thing about the whole team was that they’ve prepared really well the whole season, and nothing changes for the finals as well.”
In many RCB huddles over the past two years, one phrase has become more than just a marketing line. On the eve of yet another landmark night, Mandhana chooses to lean into it again: “One final time, let’s play bold.” It is equal parts rallying call and identity marker, an invitation to her team to embrace the moment without fear, and to the fans to believe that their side will not die wondering.
As the floodlights warm up over Kotambi Stadium and the stands in Vadodara welcome a blend of red, blue, and neutral supporters, the stakes for this Tata WPL 2026 final are clearly etched. For Delhi and Jemimah Rodrigues, it is a chance to script a fresh chapter, to step out of the shadows of earlier near-misses and forge a new leadership era. For RCB and Smriti Mandhana, it is an opportunity to turn a breakthrough title into a pattern of excellence.
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