RCB-W vs UPW-W Playing 11: Smriti Mandhana-led Royal Challengers Bengaluru will square off against Meg Lanning-led UP Warriorz in the 18th match of the WPL 2026 on January 29 at BCA Stadium, Kotambi, Vadodara.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru has been at the top of the WPL 2026 points table and will be aiming to retain the spot by the end of the group stages to directly qualify for the finals.
Despite losing back-to-back games, Bengaluru will be hoping for a win in this game. Meanwhile, UP Warrioz will also be aiming for a win to secure a spot in the playoffs.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru Women won the toss and opted to bowl. Speaking at the toss, Smriti Mandhana said, “We will field first today. Good wicket to bat on, already played against the Mumbai Indians, need to bowl in good areas. One thing I’ve mentioned is to think tactically, not emotionally.”
Playing XIs of @UPWarriorz and @RCBTweets 🙌#RCB have won the toss and elected to bowl first.
Updates ▶️ https://t.co/IgbbgWV0xt #TATAWPL | #KhelEmotionKa | #UPWvRCB pic.twitter.com/W7yAr7dF4A
— Women’s Premier League (WPL) (@wplt20) January 29, 2026
“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 Vastrakar comes back in place of Gautami Naik, she had a one-year off, looking forward to her comeback,” added Smriti.
“She’s good to bat, bowling will take some time, we’ll give her one match and then have a look at how things progress,” concluded Mandhana.
Meanwhile, Meg Lanning said, “We need to win every game we play, so nothing to lose as far as we’re concerned. It was a nice break, we focused on things that we need to get better at, places where we can improve, and we’re happy to come into the XI.”
“Couple of changes – Amy Jones comes in place of Litchfield, Simran is in place of Navgire. A new opening partner for me,” concluded Meg Lanning.
RCB-W vs UPW-W Playing 11
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: 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
UP Warriorz: 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
