Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Women have become the first team to secure their spot in the final of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 with 12 points and a net run rate of 1.247. The achievement comes after RCB defeated UP Warriorz in its last league stage match by eight wickets, securing its sixth win of the league. Meanwhile, UP Warriorz faced their fifth loss of the tournament and remain at the bottom of the points table.
UP Warriorz openers Meg Lanning (41 off 30) and Deepti Sharma (55 off 43) gained the momentum to make a strong start in the first innings. However, the rest of the batting lineup failed to add adequate runs, with only Harleen Deol (14 off 14) and Simran Shaikh (10 off 11) making decent runs. UP Warriorz set a target of 143/8. Nadine de Klerk picked up four wickets in total, Grace Harris took two, while Shreyanka Patil and Lauren Bell got one wicket each.
Meanwhile, the RCB Women batters ended the run chase in 14 overs and secured their win through a dominant partnership between their openers. Both Grace Harris (75 runs off 37) and skipper Smriti Mandhana (54* off 27) secured a 100-run partnership in 51 balls, with Georgia Voll coming in next and adding 16 runs off 15 balls. Only Shikha Pandey and Asha Sobhana managed to secure one wicket each, while the remaining bowlers struggled to achieve wickets.
RCB Women have a bit of time in hand for their final preparation, which they play on February 5, 2026.
WPL 2026 Eliminator Scenario
With RCB confirming their place in the WPL 2026 final, Gujarat Giants (GG), Delhi Capitals (DC), Mumbai Indians (MI), and UP Warriorz (UPW) are fighting for the two playoff spots. Only two league matches are left until the eliminator match scheduled on February 3, followed by the final.
With 8 points and a net run rate of -0.271, GG Women are currently placed second in the points table and are in a strong chance to make it to the eliminator match. Meanwhile, MI and DC are next in place below GG with six points each, while the UP Warriorz sit at the bottom of the table with four points.
The question, however, remains as to who will win the Eliminator match and join RCB Women in the WPL 2026 final.
