WPL 2026: RCB books a place in the final after a thumping win of 8 wickets over UP Warriorz

WPL 2026: After losing two games in a row, Royal Challengers Bengaluru have returned to winning ways and picked up the perfect occasion to register a victory. RCB thumped UP Warriorz on the day by 8 wickets. Batting first, UPW posted a par total of 143/8 in 20 overs. In reply, Smriti Mandhana's side achieved the target inside 14 overs at the BCA Stadium on Thursday.With the win, RCB has cemented its place at the top of the points table, and with that, it has also booked a place in the final of the WPL 2026.Nadine de Klerk was the standout for RCB in the bowling department. She picked four wickets and gave away just 22 runs in her quota of four overs. From the batting section, Grace Harris shone with an outstanding knock of 75 in just 37 balls. Captain Mandhana also played an impressive innings of 54* in 27 balls. From the UP Warriorz side, Deepti Sharma got the most runs. She scored 55 off 43 balls.RCB enters the WPL 2026 finalRCB captain Smriti Mandhana won the toss and invited UP Warriorz to bat first. In a must-win game the Warriorz openers- Meg Lanning and Deepti Sharma- gave the team a bright start. The opening pair forged a stand of 74 runs. However, Nadine de Klerk, who bowled the 9th over of the innings brought RCB back by removing Lanning (41 off 30) and Amy Jones in the over. Warriorz could not recover from the sudden shake-up and kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Sharma kept UPW in the hunt to reach a competitive but she eventually perished after scoring 55 off 43. In the end, UP Warriorz could only manage 143/8 after 20 overs. Nadine de Klerk emerged as the standout bowler for RCB. She picked 4 wickets and gave away just 22 runs in her quota of 4 overs.Chasing 144, Grace Harris launched a ferocious attack on the Warriorz bowlers, dampening their hopes in the powerplay itself. Powered by Harris' 49 off 27, RCB scored 63 runs in the first 6 overs. Harris did not stop there and continued her onslaught. She eventually got out after scoring 75 in just 37 balls. After her dismissal, captain Smriti Mandhana took the aggressive route and assured RCB's victory. Just before the attaining the win, RCB lost the wicket of Georgia Voll. Mandhana finished the match with a boundary. She went unbeaten at 54 in 27 balls.With the win, RCB became the first finalists of the season.