Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Delhi Capitals aren’t in uncharted territory as they gear up for the final of the Women’s Premier League on Thursday. Two seasons ago, it was these two teams that battled for the grand prize at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. Smriti Mandhana and Co. emerged victorious then, spreading cheer among a fervent fan base yearning for silverware.

Cut to the present, the circumstances ahead of the final at the Kotambi Stadium differ slightly. Unlike in 2024, RCB qualified for the summit clash this time directly after topping the league standings. It has led to a week-long build-up to the big game for the Bengaluru outfit. To allow the players to unwind for a bit before redirecting their energies to the task at hand, the team enjoyed a three-day breather in Goa immediately after its last game.

Capitals, on the other hand, have had to take a more arduous route. Having finished first in the league phase in the previous three seasons only to lose the final, Jemimah Rodrigues’ side may not mind this scenario. After a feeble beginning to the campaign, the three-time runner-up has found all the pieces of the jigsaw coming together in recent matches.

Besides handling the responsibility of captaincy with poise, Jemimah has exhibited exquisite touch with the willow of late. In a chase of 169 against Gujarat Giants in Tuesday’s Eliminator, the 25-year-old’s 23-ball 41 at No. 4 was essential in shutting out the hosts altogether. Lizelle Lee, Shafali Varma and Laura Wolvaardt are also in sparkling form.

For RCB, the fourth edition has been smooth-sailing. It won its first five games, and suffered a blip in the form of two defeats only after sealing its spot in the playoffs. In addition to Smriti, Grace Harris, Georgia Voll and Richa Ghosh are fully capable of swaying the outcome in RCB’s favour with the bat. For the wickets, RCB will look towards Lauren Bell, Nadine de Klerk and Shreyanka Patil.

Will a repeat of 2024 unfold? Or will Capitals turn the tables? Either way, it will perhaps come down to fine margins.

After two straight defeats in the Women’s Premier League, Royal Challengers Bengaluru was back to its very best on Thursday (January 29, 2026). That was largely down to Grace Harris and Nadine de Klerk, who played starring roles to help the Smriti Mandhana-led outfit rout U.P. Warriorz by eight wickets at the Kotambi Stadium.

The victory means RCB, with 12 points after eight matches, has topped the league phase and qualified for the final on February 5. Barring a mathematical miracle, Warriorz will be headed for the exit door after the final league fixture against Delhi Capitals on Sunday (February 1).

While de Klerk set up the win with a four-for to restrict Warriorz to 143 for eight, Harris’ pyrotechnics – 75 off 37 balls (13×4, 2×6) — helped the 2024 champion knock off the modest target in 13.1 overs. Smriti played her part with an unbeaten 54.

Harris made her intentions clear in the PowerPlay. She took a liking to Kranti Gaud, punishing the 22-year-old seamer for five fours in the third over with a gleeful grin. By the time Warriorz could take a strategic timeout, Harris had contributed 49 to RCB’s score of 63 for no loss in six overs. Harris’ half-century came off 28 deliveries in the seventh over. The landmark was reached with a touch of flamboyance as Harris sent Asha Sobhana’s flighted delivery sailing over long-on.

When Warriorz batted first, they simply couldn’t build on an opening alliance of 74 between Deepti Sharma (55, 43b, 6×4, 1×6) and Meg Lanning (41, 30b, 6×4, 1×6). Until de Klerk removed Lanning for the breakthrough in the ninth over, Warriorz seemed to be progressing serenely. The Australian gave herself room to hit a full ball inside-out, but could only slice it to Radha Yadav at deep point.

De Klerk’s golden arm yielded a second wicket four deliveries later when Amy Jones was trapped leg-before. That the South African took two more wickets and conceded just six runs in the final over of the Warriorz innings was emblematic of how the evening panned out.