Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs UP Warriorz Highlights WPL 2026: Grace Harris, Smriti Mandhana Power RCB To Thumping 9-Wicket Win vs UPW

So two wins in two games for the Royal Challengers. With this bossy win, they have leapfrogged to the top spot. Meg Lanning and Co. have a lot of soul-searching to do. Still early days in the tournament, but it has exposed which ends need to be tightened up. That's it from the fifth game of the season. Next up, we have another delicious clash as defending champions Mumbai Indians go up against the high-flying Gujarat Giants at the Dr. DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. That game will be played on Tuesday, 13th January, with the first ball scheduled to be bowled at 7.30 pm IST (2 pm GMT). But do make sure to join us in advance for the buildup and the pre-match buzz. Until then, ta-ta, stay safe. Cheers!

RCB's Grace Harris is the PLAYER OF THE MATCH for her blazing knock of 85 off just 40 balls. She says that it feels pretty good and she is loving her time with RCB, calling it a great setup. She admits she initially thought she would be facing the older ball and had prepared for change-ups and the death overs, before realising she would be opening the innings. Harris adds that opening alongside Smriti Mandhana has been special, calling her classy and calm, and says watching her is a great reminder that you do not need to overhit the ball, given how technically correct she is. On a lighter note, Harris says she has not named her bat yet, joking that she could name it after an Indian burger. She laughs that it has a good middle so far, and says everything is going well for now. She reflects that batting second offers a slight advantage, especially given the conditions. She gives full credit to the bowlers for restricting the opposition to 143, noting that it made the chase a lot easier. Underlines the importance of taking full advantage when conditions are in their favour and adds that she will put his hand up for everything, as long as she is part of the XI and playing cricket.

The victorious captain of Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Smriti Mandhana, says she had the best seat in the house to watch Grace Harris whack the balls. Shares that it was special to watch the bowlers put in a collective effort, with everyone chipping in. Mandhana says when you concede just 30 runs in the first 6 overs, you cannot ask for a better start with the ball. Mentions that her role while batting with Shafali Verma or Grace Harris is simple, just take a single and bring them back on strike and they make her job easier. Mandhana admits it is a tough place to be as a captain when Harris gets going because you don't know where to bowl to her. She jokes that one thing she has learned while being with RCB is that you never get too ahead of yourself. Smriti adds that this is one of the hardest-working groups they have had in the last three or four years, and the emphasis remains firmly on process.

... THE PRESENTATION CEREMONY ...

It is time to hear from RCB's ace pacer, Lauren Bell, who is up for a chat. Says she is feeling good and bowling in a nice rhythm, with everything coming out well. Points out that it is much warmer here than back home. Bell adds that she wants to start games strongly and set the tone, something she admits she has not quite nailed yet for England, but has been working on back home, particularly her outswinger. Speaking about Anya Shrubsole’s influence as bowling coach, Bell says she has worked with her for a few years and describes her as very calm and clear in her approach. She adds that cricket is an unpredictable game, but if the ball is swinging, she feels she can make a real impact in the powerplay.

The captain of UP Warriorz, Meg Lanning, says they would have loved to start the season with a win or two, but admits they were outplayed by Royal Challengers Bengaluru. She says RCB bowled really well up front and never allowed her side a sniff with the bat. Lanning says the positive is that games are coming thick and fast, which gives them a chance to bounce back. Adds that there are a few areas they need to tidy up. Lanning says the positive is that games are coming thick and fast, giving them a chance to bounce back. She admits there were too many dot balls early on, including from herself. When asked the reason for Shikha Pandey bowling cross seam with the new ball, Lanning is not sure, but assumes it may have been an attempt to get the ball to move off the wicket and says that Shikha is one of the best bowlers in the competition. Meg also says it is extremely difficult to stop Harris once she gets going and acknowledges that she showed her quality tonight.

Earlier in the game, Mandhana’s RCB chose to bowl first. UP Warriorz’s ploy of sending Harleen Deol to open alongside Lanning did not pay off, and when Lanning departed soon after, the innings began to unravel. RCB’s bowlers were relentless with their lines and lengths, and coupled with an excellent fielding display, they reduced the Warriorz to 50 for 5. At that stage, UPW desperately needed a partnership to materialise and arrest the slide. That stabilising stand eventually came through the alliance between Deepti Sharma and Deandra Dottin, who made 45 and 40 respectively. On the back of that partnership, the Warriorz lifted themselves out of the rut, adding 87 runs in the final ten overs without losing a wicket. With the ball, De Klerk and Patil picked up two wickets apiece. Shreyanka was taken to the cleaners in her final two overs, while Lauren Bell remained characteristically miserly with a wicket to her name.

Things only got uglier for the Warriorz in the final over of the Powerplay. Harris flipped the switch against Dottin and went absolutely berserk, carving out 32 runs in a single over. By the time Ecclestone finally came into the attack, the game had already slipped well beyond UP’s reach, with Harris and Mandhana having ticked off more than half the chase. Once Harris brought up her fifty off just 22 balls, RCB went straight for the kill. It was a lethal mix of Harris’s brute force and Mandhana’s classical strokeplay that sealed the deal emphatically for RCB.

It looked like RCB were batting on a different pitch altogether. Seeing the way Warriorz struggled with the bat, it appeared as if the pitch had its own demons, but those speculations were dashed off by the Royal Challengers as soon as they came to bat. Chasing a modest 144, all they needed was a strong start in the Powerplay, and Grace Harris and Smriti Mandhana made sure there were no half measures. From ball one, they took the bowlers out of the contest, dining on anything even slightly off line or length. UP, for their part, never really went at the stumps hard enough to force mistakes, and the damage snowballed quickly.

This was ball-striking of the highest order. A reminder of just how destructive Grace Harris can be when she gets going. Full marks to her for a knock that was as ruthless as it was entertaining. It also goes down as RCB’s biggest win in WPL history in balls remaining, romping home with 47 balls to spare with 9 wickets in hand. UP Warriorz were totally outbowled, outbatted, and outplayed in all departments by their opponents. This marks their second defeat in as many games, and this loss will do some real damage to their net run rate.

FOUR BYES! That will do it for RCB. Deepti tosses it up from around the wicket, full and outside off, Mandhana walks across her stumps, trying to drag the sweep away on the leg side. She is beaten as the ball spins away and the keeper, Shweta Sehrawat, is also beaten. It races past short third and Asha Sobhana's chase goes in vain. Royal Challengers Bengaluru romp home with 47 balls to spare.

Pace off, on a back of a length, Richa stabs it down on the off side.

FOUR! Nicely done! Wide yorker, cross seam delivery, Ghosh gets her bat down and glides it with an open bat face. Plays it fine of short third and the ball races away.

With the final rites being read, the crease has a new occupant. Richa Ghosh is in at number 3.

OUT! CAUGHT! End of a superlative knock from Grace Harris. The Navi Mumbai crowd and Grace's teammates in the dugout give her a standing ovation. Full and wide on off, Harris reaches out and tries to carve it over cover. Hits it straight to Meg Lanning at cover-point, who hops back and takes it around her midriff. Harris departs after scoring an outstanding 85 off 40 balls.

Full and on off, pushed to long off for a single.

PUT DOWN! A much simpler chance than the previous one, but Harleen Deol has shelled it. It sums up the night for them. Cross-seam delivery, full and outside off, Harris goes deep in the crease and tries to get under the ball to slam it down the ground. Hits it flat and straight down the throat of long off, where Deol could have taken a step or two to make it easier for herself. She hung back and got low to take it around her ankle, but could not cling on. The batters cross for one.

FOUR! That has raced away at the rate of knots! Shikha misses the yorker and slips in a full toss, on the pads. Grace Harris obliges and flicks it solidly to beat the deep backward square leg fielder to her left for a boundary.

Overpitched on middle, Grace Harris mistimes her heave towards deep mid-wicket for a single. RCB need just 13 runs to win!

Dishes out a low full toss, on the leg stump. Grace Harris presses forward and clips it to the right of deep mid-wicket for a couple of more runs.