WPL 2026 | Match 18: UP Warriorz vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Preview and Predictions

Elimination-threatened UP Warriorz will play table-toppers Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Match 18 of the 2026 Women’s Premier League season at Kotambi Stadium on January 29, 2026. 

For the game, here we present our preview and predictions.

Women’s Premier League 2026 | Match 18: UPW vs RCB | 19:30 IST, 29 January 2026

Three defeats in their first three fixtures left them in a difficult spot, but two back-to-back wins against the Mumbai Indians, followed by a comprehensive defeat at the hands of the Gujarat Giants in Match 14, have now left the Warriorz in a do-or-die situation.

They hold their destiny in their own hands, though. Two wins in their final two games will secure them a knockout spot. However, a defeat here will make things extremely difficult with Meg Lanning’s team, who already hold the worst net run rate in the league. 

UPW need several players to step up and do a job if they want to progress beyond the league phase. In the batting department, new acquisition Phoebe Litchfield leads the run-scoring chart with 243 runs, with skipper Lanning close behind (207 runs). Harleel Deol (150 runs) has also chipped in with a couple of good knocks, but the rest of the batting line-up has failed miserably. 

Their bowling department has been even worse. They are yet to take ten wickets against a single opposition, with their recent eight-wicket haul against the Gujarat Giants currently being their best outing. Sophie Ecclestone is currently their highest wicket-taker with six scalps, while both Deepti Sharma and Shikha Pandey sit next with five wickets each.

Having started their campaign in exact contrast to the Warriorz, winning five in five to sit at the top with a healthy lead, two back-to-back defeats have rocked the RCB boat. Now, only two points separate them from second-placed Gujarat Giants. What will be more worrying for them is the fact that it’s twice on the bounce that their top and middle orders have collapsed, while their bowlers have looked ineffective on those same strips.

Despite those defeats, RCB have already qualified for the knockouts, though they will want to get back to winning ways before concluding their league stage campaign. In the batting department, skipper Smriti Mandhana leads their run-scoring chart with 236 runs in seven innings. Richa Ghosh, with her 50-ball 90 knock against the Mumbai Indians that ended in a losing cause, has reminded everyone what mayhem she can cause on her day. However, the RCB management will definitely want to see some more from their middle-order batters.

In the Royal Challengers’ bowling department, it has been a complete team effort. Lauren Bell and Nadine de Klerk lead the way with 11 wickets apiece, Shreyanka Patil has nine scalps, and Sayali Satghare has eight. Given that they are the first team to book their place in the knockouts, the 2024 WPL champions can use the remaining league fixtures to fine-tune certain aspects of their game.

In terms of weather forecast and pitch report for this game, conditions are expected to be clear and ideal for cricket. Unlike the DY Patil Sports Academy, runs have been hard to come by at Kotambi Stadium, with the slow nature of the wickets giving bowlers a slight edge. 

Looking ahead to this fixture, the UP Warriorz come into this in a do-or-die situation, while the Royal Challengers are looking for a guaranteed first-place finish.

Both teams come into this fixture with their batters struggling and bowlers hitting a slump; looking at RCB’s core team, however, we are backing them to get back to winning ways. 

Fantasy XI: Grace Harris, Meg Lanning, Smriti Mandhana, Phoebe Litchfield (vc), Richa Ghosh, Deepti Sharma, Nadine de Klerk (c), Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Bell, Shreyanka Patil, Shikha Pandey, Sayali Satghare

Venue: Kotambi Stadium, Vadodara 
Winners Prediction: Royal Challengers Bengaluru