Oh dear, Jemimah has made an absolute meal of the full toss! She shanks it completely, finding the safe hands of Nadine de Klerk, who makes no mistake. Jemimah gets a standing ovation from Sourav Ganguly as she makes her way back to the dugout!
DC: 148/3 (16)

That's what you call a captain's knock! Jemimah has raced her way to a 32-ball half-century. Seven boundaries have come off her blade so far, and DC are cruising toward a massive total!
DC: 134/5 (14.5)

Arundhati needs some help from the other end! She bowls another excellent over, conceding just seven after Shreyanka's expensive set. RCB are desperate for wickets now; they need a breakthrough to stop the bleeding.
DC: 120/2 (13)

Tidy over from Arundhati! Just six off it, but RCB need wickets. Jemimah is middling almost anything and everything, while Wolvaardt looks happy to play second fiddle for now. Advantage DC!

DC: 100/2 (11)

DC are ahead at this stage despite the dismissals of Lee and Shafali! The onus is now on Jemimah and Wolvaardt. This partnership could be decisive for either side. 

DC: 83/2 (9)

Big wicket for RCB! De Klerk wins the all-South African battle against Lizelle Lee. A little cross-seamer and Lee miscues it completely. Grace Harris settles under it and gobbles it up near long-on! Two down now for DC.

DC: 72/2 (7.3)

4,4,6,1,4! Massive over for DC courtesy Lizelle Lee! Expensive first over for Shreyanka. DC are well and truly on the charge. RCB under a bit of pressure now

DC: 72/1 (7)

WICKET! Arundhati Reddy strikes for RCB! Banged in short this time, but it seems to come off slower than Shafali expected. She misses the wild swing but manages a minor snick through to Richa Ghosh, who takes a sharp catch behind the sticks. A loud appeal for caught behind, and the umpire raises her finger

DC: 49/1 (5.5)

Lee is finding some rhythm! This one is slashed for four. Not a bad ball from Bell, but Lee throws her hands at it and flays it past short third! The player at short third is well beaten. DC are moving well now.

DC: 34/0 (4.3)

Shafali survives! Almost a stumping! Great reflexes from Richa, but she wasn't quite swift enough in removing the bails. Shafali just managed to keep her bat grounded. Huge let-off for DC and Shafali!

DC: 28/0 (3.5)

Lee goes bang! Breaks the shackles in style. Back-to-back six for the South African powerhouse. Too much width from Sayali and she gets punished. Lee is on fire now!
DC: 21/1 (3.2)

Five dots and a single off the final ball! Lauren Bell continues to trouble batters in the powerplay. Lizelle Lee has struggled a bit so far against her. This is a good start from RCB's perspective. 

DC: 9/0 (3)

Shafali Verma spoils a rather tidy over from Lauren Bell with a boundary of the last ball. She marches down the track and crashes it over extra cover! Decent start for DC

DC: 5/0 (1)

There's definitely some dew on the outfield, and the Super Sopper was doing its thing before the players made their way to the middle. Lizelle Lee and Shafali Verma are ready to face the chin music. The familiar figure of Lauren Bell steps up to bowl the first over.

RCB had won their first five games of the season before being stunned by today's opponents. DC have done well historically against RCB but lost the all-important final in 2024. They'll be hoping that isn't the case this time.

Former New Zealand cricketer Katey Martin feels that the DC openers Lizelle Lee and Shafali Varma would be looking to counter-attack against lead RCB pacer Lauren Bell.

"I think the Delhi openers will go after Lauren Bell. She has been very consistent; it's really the bounce she's been able to generate, along with the swing, that makes her such a challenge for batters. We saw on the wicket in the game Delhi Capitals played against Gujarat Giants that there is a bit in it with the new ball. So expect her to get that opportunity. I think hers is such an incredible story, to remodel your entire bowling action, take time away from the game, and have the bravery to do that. Now, we're starting to see the success and confidence. I'm really looking forward to seeing her produce some magic out in the middle," said Katey.

Former Indian cricketer Saba Karim said that the Capitals look stronger than the 2024 champions RCB on paper and have "all bases covered" for the final.

"Hopefully, it happens for Delhi this time around. This is the fourth season of TATA WPL, and the Delhi Capitals have been the most consistent team. Finals have been the one big hurdle they've yet to cross, that perhaps be down to nerves, preparation, or execution on the day. But this is a golden opportunity. They're playing under a new captain, the atmosphere in the team is very good, and I thought Delhi would be the first team to qualify, even though they had to take a different route this year. The way they performed in the eliminator, I feel they have all the bases covered. On paper, Delhi Capitals looks like a stronger team than the Royal Challengers Bengaluru. They have a lot of options. Anything could happen in the final; both teams are very strong. Let's see who wins the battle between the two best friends," he said.

The closing ceremony is underway in Vadodara! Malaika Arora performs for a brief on the iconic song 'Chaiyya Chaiyya'. Her appearance is followed by a solo vocal performance from singer Talwiinder. 

RCB skipper Mandhana says it has been a trend in the tournament and they want to know what they are going to chase.

"It's always good to know what you're going to chase. We're playing with the same XI what we played in the last match. (On the break and and playing the final) It's been brilliant, I feel. First 2-3 days, we all had a good time off. We didn't think a lot about cricket. And of course, in the last two or three days, we came back together, practised hard. And again, there's nice nerves, nice anxiousness, and nice excitement. And I feel you all have to embrace it. And we've all had a chat about it. And don't run away from it, just embrace it. (Different preparations for the final?) Well, I'm not sure that it's different. What's worked for us is keeping things as simple as we can. And I think nothing changes for us today as well. Everyone had that calm energy today. But of course, the excitement level is high. And for sure, I mean, we know that we have to turn up and play our best cricket," said Mandhana.

DC captain Jemimah is happy to lose the toss, but admits that she would've liked to bowl first. Both teams are unchanged.

"It's better to lose the toss in such big games. We are going with the same team. We've kept it very simple, kept our plans simple. We played the Eliminator here, so we know what it's going to like like," Jemimah said at the toss.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru XI: Smriti Mandhana (capt), Grace Harris, Georgia Voll, Richa Ghosh (wk), Radha Yadav, Nadine de Klerk, Pooja Vastrakar, Shreyanka Patil, Sayali Satghare, Arundhati Reddy, Lauren Bell

Delhi Capitals XI: Shafali Verma, Lizelle Lee (wk), Laura Wolvaardt, Jemimah Rodrigues (capt), Marizanne Kapp, Chinelle Henry, Niki Prasad, Sneh Rana, Minnu Mani, Nandni Sharma, N Shree Charani

Good evening and welcome to our live coverage of the WPL 2026 final. History beckons both RCB, the 2024 champions, and DC, lead by Indian stars Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues as they collide in the title clash. RCB are aiming for a second title in three years while DC aim for a fairytale finish after defeats in the last three WPL finals.