Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) sealed their spot in the TATA Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 final with a commanding eight-wicket victory over UP Warriorz (UPW) in Match 18 at the BCA Stadium in Vadodara. A bowling masterclass from Nadine de Klerk, and all-round brilliance from Grace Harris - including a blistering opening partnership with captain Smriti Mandhana - ensured RCB topped the league stage and progressed directly to the final. RCB’s dominant victory thus ended UPW’s playoff aspirations, making the battle for the other two playoff spots a three-team race.

Put in to bat first, a new UPW opening pair of captain Meg Lanning and Deepti Sharma guided the team into a strong position after a cautious start which saw Lauren Bell once again bossing the powerplay overs with the ball.

From 22/0 in four overs, Lanning and Deepti raced to 74/0 after just 8 overs with boundaries flowing from both ends.

However, the introduction of De Klerk in the ninth over completely changed the momentum. The South African all-rounder dismissed Lanning and Amy Jones - who made her WPL debut coming in for the injured Phoebe Litchfield - in her first over, triggering a middle-order collapse.

While Deepti firmly held one end on her way to 55(43), regular wickets at the other end, including 2/22 from Harris’ three overs, meant UPW could muster only 143/8 in their 20 overs. De Klerk finished with exceptional figures of 4/22 in her four overs, earning the Purple Cap in the process.

Chasing 144 for a direct entry into the final, RCB's openers made the target look effortless. Grace Harris, in particular, was in a destructive mood, going after the bowlers from the get-go. She smashed five boundaries in a single over from Kranti Gaud (3rd over of the innings) to set the tone for the chase. She raced to a 28-ball fifty and then 72 off just 34 deliveries as RCB were on song at 93/0 after just eight overs.

Mandhana joined the party after initially playing a perfect supporting role and the duo stitched a dominant 108-run opening partnership before Harris was dismissed by Shikha Pandey for 75 off 37 deliveries. Mandhana took charge thereafter, completing her own fifty off just 26 deliveries.

The skipper and Georgia Voll then guided the team home, with Mandhana hitting the winning boundary in the 14th over to seal an emphatic eight-wicket win with 41 balls to spare.

RCB now have a seven-day break, during which they will eagerly await their opponents for the final on Thursday, February 5th. Meanwhile, UPW will aim to sign off from WPL 2026 with a victory in their last league game against Delhi Capitals on Sunday, February 1st.