WPL 2026 | Match 22: Final- RCB vs DC | Preview and Prediction

After almost 4 weeks of breathtaking and edge-of-the-seat cricket action between 5 teams who gave it their all up until the very end, we are now down to the two teams who endured everything that was thrown at them and are now just one game away from the WPL Title. The Royal Challengers Bengaluru will take on the Delhi Capitals in the Final to determine the winner of the 2026 Women’s Premier League.

Here is our Preview and Prediction for the game

WPL 2026 | Match 22: Final- Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Delhi Capitals | 19:30, 05 February

When it was announced that RCB’s star all-rounder, and probably the best all-rounder in the Women’s game in Ellyse Perry would be withdrawing from this season’s WPL due to personal reasons, it led to genuine doubts about how the team would be able to cope with the loss of arguably their most important player of the past 3 seasons. Apart from Perry, they also released opener Sophie Devine to the auction pool, who was snapped by the Gujarat Giants.

So with two very important overseas stars out, how would RCB fare in their absence? Turns out, pretty damn spectacularly!

RCB started on an absolute heater, winning 5 games in a row and putting away everyone on the byside with their level of performance in every game. They won last-ball thrillers as well as comfortable victories where they barely broke a sweat, confirming their place in the knockouts in style. While they did stumble a bit, losing two straight games, they eventually sealed their passage to the Final on the back of a commanding victory against The UP Warriorz, giving them a full week’s worth of rest ahead of the big Final.

The speciality of this RCB team is that they have not been dependent on one player and have had multiple matchwinners in different games. Smriti Mandhana, Grace Harris, Lauren Bell, Radha Yadav, Nadine de Klerk, Shreyanka Patil, and Gautami Naik have all been matchwinners in different games, thereby reducing the burden on one particular individual to do the heavy lifting.

With Delhi Capitals, they have already made a small bit of history by becoming the only team to make the WPL Final in all 4 seasons. That is unreal consistency for a side that was almost dead and buried halfway through the season. 

Jemimah has led the team astutely, players have churned out performances when it mattered the most, and they stayed together as a team despite the adversity that surrounded them in the initial stages of the league. 

They arguably produced their best performance of the tournament in the Playoff game against Gujarat Giants, where Lizelle Lee and Shafali Verma made a mockery of what was touted to be a competitive total by the Giants. The one thing that DC were missing was their opening pair firing together in tandem, and that is exactly what happened yesterday, with both putting on 89 runs for the opening partnership in just 7 overs. 

Jemimah also managed to get a few runs under belt, a brisk 41 off 23 balls meaning that she will enter the Final on the back of a good outing with the bat. After two heartbreaking losses against the same opposition in the league stage, this victory not only comes as sweet retribution, but also goes a very long way in strengthening their resolve ahead of the big Final.

Delhi will be hoping that the 4th time is a charm, having come to the Final in the last 3 seasons as well, only to suffer the pain and anguish of being the runners-up each time. They have shown the consistency to make another Final, but can they take that all-important step and lift the title on the 4th time of asking?

Both teams are entirely deserving of their spot in the Final, but we believe that the Royal Challengers will emerge as the winners and win their second WPL title. They are well-rested, and despite the split head-to-head between them in the league stages, they boast the better bowling attack and also a much more well-rounded squad compared to the Capitals. But expect nothing less than a tough fight from the Capitals as they will be desperate to break their drought in the WPL.

Fantasy 11: Lizelle Lee (wk), Smriti Mandhana ( c ), Grace Harris, Laura Wolwaardt, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh, Radha Yadav, Marizanne Kapp, Nandani Sharma, Shreyanka Patil, Lauren Bell.

Winners Prediction: Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Venue: Vadodara International Stadium, Kotambi.