Smriti-Harris storm swept UP Warriors, RCB defeated them by 8 wickets, entered the finals with pride:

News India Live, Digital Desk: In the 18th match of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) maintained their dominance and defeated UP Warriors by 8 wickets. With this win, RCB captained by Smriti Mandhana has reached the top of the points table with 12 points and has become the first team to book the ticket to the finals. In this match played at BCA Stadium, Vadodara, ‘Grace Harris’ and ‘Nadine de Klerk’ were the biggest heroes of the victory.

Match coverage: A look at the scorecard

UP Warriors: 143/8 (20 overs)

RCB: 147/2 (13.1 overs)

Result: RCB won by 8 wickets (41 balls remaining).

‘Turning Points’ of the match

UP’s great start and then its decline: UP Warriors made a strong start after losing the toss and batting first. Meg Lanning (41) and Deepti Sharma (55) for the first wicket. 74 runs Made a partnership. But as soon as Nadine de Klerk dismissed Lanning, UP’s middle order collapsed like a pack of cards.

Nadine de Klerk’s deadly spell: RCB bowler Nadine de Klerk broke the back of UP with her sharp bowling. They 4 wickets for 22 runs Cracked, due to which UP was reduced to 143 while moving towards a big score.

Grace Harris’s ‘Allround’ Show: Harris not only took 2 wickets with the ball but also created havoc with the bat. he merely 75 runs in 37 balls Played a stormy innings, which included 13 fours and 2 sixes.

Smriti-Harris’s ‘class’ in batting

Smriti Mandhana and Grace Harris gave an explosive start to RCB while chasing the target. For the first wicket between the two 108 runs There was a century partnership.

Smriti Mandhana: The captain continued his form 54 runs unbeaten in 27 balls Make it. He took the team to the final by hitting fours.

Grace Harris: Harris’s aggressiveness was such that no bowler from UP could stop him. He also scored his fastest half-century of this season.

The path to the final became easier

With this resounding win, RCB has not only made it to the finals but has also strengthened its Net Run Rate (NRR). This defeat has become a path for UP Warriors to be out of the tournament. Now it remains to be seen whether RCB will face Delhi Capitals or Mumbai Indians in the final.Player of the match: Grace Harris (75 runs and 2 wickets)