Top-of-the-table Royal Challengers Bengaluru will play a Mumbai Indians side desperate for wins in Match 16 of the 2026 Women’s Premier League season at Kotambi Stadium on January 26, 2026.
For the game, here we present our preview and predictions.
After winning five out of five, the Royal Challengers finally came undone in their last match against the Delhi Capitals. Asked to bat first, RCB were bundled out for just 109 in their 20 overs. In reply, DC comfortably chased down the score in the 16th over, winning by seven wickets.
Despite the defeat, RCB have already qualified for the knockouts, though they will want to keep the winning momentum going. Skipper Smriti Mandhana leads their run-scoring chart with 230 runs in six innings. Grace Harris has also done a decent job at the top with 138 runs. However, the RCB management will definitely want to see some more from the middle-order batters.
In the RCB bowling department, it has been a complete team effort. Nadine de Klerk leads the way with ten wickets, while both Lauren Bell and Shreyanka Patil have nine wickets each. Given that they are the first team to book their place for the knockouts, that too with two games in hand, the 2024 WPL champions can use these fixtures to fine-tune certain aspects of their game.
As for their opponents, defending champions Mumbai Indians have gone off the boil in recent weeks, losing three on the bounce. Another loss will gravely jeopardise their chances of making the play-offs.
It isn’t just one department that’s struggling for MI; both batters and bowlers are struggling to stamp their authority in the middle. With the bat, their top order has struggled to give meaningful starts, with both Nat Sciver-Brunt and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur needing to anchor innings and steady the ship rather than express themselves from the get-go. As a result, despite being the team’s highest run-getters, they are both accumulating runs at striking under 140.
Similarly, their bowlers have flattered to deceive so far this season. Amelia Kerr sits at the top of their wicket-takers’ list with ten scalps in five innings, but she has had little assistance from elsewhere. Sciver-Brunt and Nicola Carey both have taken seven wickets each, but Shabnim Ismail and Amanjot Kaur sit next on the list with three wickets each, highlighting MI’s lack of wicket-taking threat.
In terms of weather forecast and pitch report for this game, conditions are expected to be clear and ideal for cricket. Unlike at the DY Patil, runs have been hard to come by at the Kotambi Stadium, with the slow nature of the wickets giving bowlers a slight edge.
Looking ahead to this fixture, Royal Challengers Bengaluru are high on confidence, with most parts of their machinery already clicking. The same cannot be said for the Mumbai Indians, who look vulnerable with both bat and ball. Thus, we’re backing RCB to get back to winning ways.
Fantasy XI: Grace Harris, Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana (c), Nat Sciver-Brunt, Richa Ghosh, Nicola Carey, Nadine de Klerk, Amanjot Kaur, Lauren Bell (vc), Shreyanka Patil, Sayali Satghare
Venue: Kotambi Stadium, Vadodara
Winners Prediction: Royal Challengers Bengaluru
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