On Monday, January 13, Royal Challengers Bengaluru Women secured a dominant victory over UP Warriorz after defeating them by nine wickets to add their second consecutive win in the ongoing Women’s Premier League 2026 held at DY Patil Stadium.
The Smriti Mandhana-led team is now the table toppers of the tournament with two wins and a net run rate of 1.964 so far, while Gujarat Giants have taken a step down to the No. 2 spot. RCB Women’s Grace Harris was named Player of the Match for her power-packed performance in the run chase.
The UP Warriorz Women’s team struggled on both sides. They started the innings with the bat first but struggled to get much score, ending their 20 overs at 143/5. Top-order batters, including skipper Meg Lanning (14 off 21), Harleen Deol (11 off 14), and Phoebe Litchfield (20 off 11), contributed decently. Meanwhile, Kiran Navgire got her exit after five runs.
However, all-rounder Deepti Sharma (45* off 35) and Deandra Dottin (40* off 37) made valuable scores as undefeated batters. Shreyanka Patil and Nadine de Klerk took two wickets each, while Lauren Bell added one. With UP Warriorz struggling to score on the pitch, the RCB Women batters had a challenge to finish the run chase of 144 runs.
But all seemed easy, and things started to go in their favor with the opening partnership between Grace (85 off 40) and Mandhana (47 not-out) of 100 runs in 48 balls (8 overs). After losing the wicket of Grace, Richa Ghosh entered next and added four runs to the target, and RCB Women closed their innings in 12.1 overs. Shikha Pandey was the lone wicket-taker of the UP Warriorz.
“This is the most hardworking group we have got in the last 3-4 years” Mandhana on the team’s victory. She credited her teammates and made special mention of players who led the team to the finishing line.
Mandhana, during the post-match interview, said, “It was the best seat in the house to watch Grace. The way everyone bowled and executed their plans, it was special to watch. We discussed we were not on point in the first match in terms of field sets and happy everyone was in the right position today. It is something the whole team can be proud of and it is just the start.”
Mandhana then went on to mention what kind of a performer Grace is and the hard work showcased by her and the team in this match.
“We all were very clear of how dangerous she can be at the top, and how she can take the game away from the opposition. With RCB, one thing I have learnt is to not speak too far ahead. This is the most hardworking group we have got in the last 3-4 years. Let’s see how we go,” she added.
