This will be their second WPL final, following their title triumph in 2024.
Captain Smriti Mandhana discussed a crucial mental shift that helped Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) bounce back from two straight defeats and storm into the WPL 2026 final after thrashing UP Warriorz by eight wickets on Thursday, January 29. With this win, RCB finished the league stage with six victories, matching the record for the most league wins in a single WPL season.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, Smriti Mandhana mentioned that RCB decided to avoid emotional responses and focused on staying practical during the business end of the tournament.
“In the last two games, we told ourselves not to think emotionally and dig a hole,” Mandhana said after the match. “In tournaments like this, you have to credit the other players. Nat (Sciver-Brunt) played brilliantly against us, and sometimes, you just have to accept that. We’ve played really good cricket in the first five matches.”
After winning five games in a row, RCB hit a few bumps, losing one match to Delhi Capitals (DC) by seven wickets and another to Mumbai Indians (MI) by 15 runs. To make matters worse, their bowlers allowed 74 runs in the first eight overs, as UP Warriorz achieved their best opening partnership of the season. However, RCB made a remarkable comeback in the game and sealed it comprehensively by eight wickets and 41 balls to spare.
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Earlier, put into bat first, UP Warriorz made a strong start. Deepti Sharma, opening the innings for the first time in WPL history, put up a 74-run partnership off 49 balls with captain Meg Lanning. While the wickets were falling at the other end after Lanning’s wicket, Deepti kept manoeuvring the field and finding boundaries. She raced to her fifty of just 40 deliveries and helped UPW post a respectable 143/8 after 20 overs as they lost eight wickets for next 69 runs off 71 balls.
Nadine de Klerk ended the partnership, and everything changed. Suddenly, the pitch became harder to bat on. UPW experienced a significant batting collapse, losing eight wickets for just 69 runs. Thanks to Nadine de Klerk’s second four-wicket haul of the season, she also earned the Purple Cap for the most wickets in the tournament so far. Grace Harris bowled for the first time this season and took 2/22 in her three overs.
In reply to a modest target of 144, RCB cruised towards it by finishing the chase in just 13.1 overs. Grace Harris once again led the charge against UPW, scoring a quick-fire 75, following up her 85 in their first meeting. She set the tone with a powerful attack on Kranti Gaud, hitting seven boundaries in her first two overs. Mandhana played a second fiddle early until Harris was firing on all cylinders as the duo forged a match-winning 108-run opening partnership that effectively sealed the game.
After Grace Harris’ dismissal, Smriti Mandhana shifted gears smoothly and raced to her second half-century of the season off just 26 balls. She only finished the game in a style with a four, stamping authority. With six wins in eight games, RCB are seating top of the WPL 2026 points table with 12 points, with three teams still fighting for second and third place.
Now, RCB have a full week to regroup, refresh and get ready for the title clash. Now, they have a huge opportunity to lift the prestigious WPL trophy for the second time, following their title triumph in 2024.
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