Royal Challengers Bengaluru had a difficult start to the chase. Grace Harris, who is known for her flamboyant starts, departed for nine runs and that’s a massive blow for RCB in the WPL 2026 final against Delhi Capitals at the BCA Stadium in Vadodara. Meanwhile, after she departed, Georgia Voll has shown some intent, while captain Smriti Mandhana is taking things slow at the moment. She needs to change the gears as RCB have a mountain to climb. They are chasing 204 runs in the final, which is the highest-ever score in WPL final history. Earlier, Jemimah Rodrigues led by example in the summit clash, scoring 57 runs off 37 balls. After she departed, Laura Wolvaardt and Chenille Henry rose to the occasion and changed the complexion of the game. The South Africa captain smacked 44 runs off 25 balls, while Henry played a cameo of unbeaten 35 runs off just 15 balls.
Meanwhile, RCB won the toss and elected to bowl first in the 2026 Women’s Premier League (WPL) at the. Captain Smriti Mandhana noted that they have made no changes to the playing XI and are backing the same for their second final. Jemimah Rodrigues, too, was happy to bat first, even though she later claimed that the team would have chosen to bowl first if they had won the toss.
Notably, RCB won their first five games of the season, which cemented their spot in the playoffs but the call for the final was awaiting as they suffered back-to-back defeats to Delhi and Mumbai Indians. However, with a win over UP Warriorz in their final league game. The side has played some phenomenal cricket so far, with multiple batters rising to the occasion from time to time. When it comes to the bowling unit, Lauren Bell has been a force to reckon with. She has claimed 12 wickets in eight matches at an economy rate of 5.62, which is extraordinary given that the England international has bowled mostly in the powerplay.
When it comes to Delhi Capitals, they have had a topsy-turvy season, winning four out of eight matches to qualify for the Eliminator. In the knockout game, they defeated Gujarat Giants by seven wickets to make it to their fourth straight final. In the previous three editions of the WPL, DC earned a direct qualification for the summit clash, finishing at the top of the points table, but this time around, they had to play the Eliminator.
Meanwhile, despite playing three finals already, the Jemimah Rodrigues-led is yet to win the trophy. They suffered a defeat to Mumbai Indians in the finals of 2023 and 2025 and to Bengaluru in 2024. However, in each edition, the team winning the Eliminator has gone on to win the WPL trophy and it will be interesting to see if the Capitals can manage to repeat that and win their maiden title or RCB become the second team after Mumbai to win the title twice.