WPL 2026: RCB win toss, choose to to bowl first against UPW

Vadodara (Gujarat) [India], January 29 (ANI): Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) captain Smriti Mandhana won the toss and opted to bowl first against the Meg Lanning-led UP Warriroz (UPW) in the 18th fixture of the ongoing Women's Premier League (WPL) season 2026, on Thursday at the BCA Stadium, Kotambi, Vadodara.

RCB, who have already qualified for the WPL playoffs, are coming into the fixture on the back of two consecutive losses and will look to cap off their league-stage campaign with a win. UP Warriorz, on the other hand, have only won two matches in their WPL 2026 campaign so far. They are at the bottom of the WPL points table.

For the Meg Lanning-led side to reach the WPL playoffs, it's a straightforward scenario: win both matches convincingly and then rely on Gujarat Giants to knock out Mumbai Indians in their final game.

RCB vs UPW WPL match playing 11s

UP Warriorz playing 11: Meg Lanning(c), Simran Shaikh, Amy Jones(w), Harleen Deol, Chloe Tryon, Deepti Sharma, Shweta Sehrawat, Sophie Ecclestone, Asha Sobhana Joy, Shikha Pandey, Kranti Gaud.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru playing 11: Grace Harris, Smriti Mandhana(c), Georgia Voll, Radha Yadav, Richa Ghosh(w), Nadine de Klerk, Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Sayali Satghare, Shreyanka Patil, Lauren Bell

After winning the toss, Smriti Mandhana said RCB need to bowl in the right areas and play tactically rather than emotionally, while keeping things simple after a strong start to the season. Mandhana also confirmed one change to the playing 11, with Pooja Vastrakar returning in place of Gautami Naik.

"We will field first today. Good wicket to bat on, already played against Mumbai Indians, need to bowl in good areas. One thing I've mentioned is to think tactically, not emotionally. We've done a lot of things right to win the first 5, just keep things simple, someone else might play better cricket, just keep it simple. One change - Pooja comes back in place of Gautami, she had a one-year off, looking forward to her comeback. She's good to bat, bowling will take some time, we'll have a look at how things progressed," Mandhana said at the toss. (ANI)

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