De Klerk, Harris tear UPW apart to take RCB into final

A picture of contrasts - that is what Grace Harris' turbo-charged knock provided in Vadodara as Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) sealed their spot in the final of WPL 2026. For most of the UP Warriorz (UPW) innings, conditions looked a little tough for batting. Barring openers Meg Lanning and Deepti Sharma, none of their batters could go at a strike rate in excess of 100. But Harris' 28-ball fifty en route to a 37-ball 75 ended UPW's campaign by dealing them their fifth defeat in seven outings.

Deepti had scored a fifty after opening the innings for the first time in the WPL. But Nadine de Klerk's four-wicket haul, coupled with Harris' two, limited UPW to 143 for 8 after they were sent in. Against the batting might of RCB, bolstered with the return of Pooja Vastrakar for the first time since the T20 World Cup 2024, that was never going to be enough.

Kiran Navgire's lack of runs forced a change for UPW at the top. Lanning and Deepti delivered a half-century stand and the first wicketless powerplay against RCB in WPL 2026. The first three overs brought just 12 runs, but the last three went for 38 with UPW 50 for 0 after the powerplay.

Deepti played the enforcer's role by following a four off Shreyanka Patil with a four and a six against Lauren Bell. Lanning then dished out the same to Sayali Satghare, and suddenly UPW attacked from both ends. Lanning only raised the bar by hitting Arundhati Reddy for three fours in four balls as UPW's run rate zoomed past 9.50.

De Klerk can do little wrong these days. She struck first ball when Lanning holed out to sweeper cover at the start of the ninth over. Four balls later, Amy Jones, Litchfield's injury replacement, couldn't pick the one that came back in and was trapped lbw. That was enough to derail UPW's best start of the season. The next six overs just brought 32 runs for the loss of four wickets; Deepti faced only 11 balls for 11 runs in this phase. She did manage to hit Harris for two overs in the 16th but UPW had only made 72 for 4 in the middle overs.

Deepti completed her fourth WPL half-century in 40 balls but her innings and the first eight overs remained the only high points of the UPW innings. De Klerk struck twice in her last over, too. That meant UPW could manage just 21 for 4 at the death to end on a total much lower than they looked on course for. By virtue of her 4 for 22, de Klerk equalled Sophie Devine's tally of 15 wickets, the most this season and the most for an RCB bowler in a WPL edition.

Kranti Gaud bowled four dot balls in her first two overs. Considering she bowls with the field restrictions on, that is not a bad picture. But seven of the other eight balls were boundary balls, with Harris tearing into her erring lines. She hit five fours in the third over and that really set the tone for the onslaught. Gaud went for 29 off her two overs and did not bowl for the rest of the evening. Shikha Pandey did get rid of Harris with a swinging length ball, but it was too late for UPW's liking.

Mandhana had the best seat in the house at the non-striker's end. But she was not a mere bystander in RCB's chase. She showed her first sign of intent by lofting Sophie Ecclestone over mid-on before hitting Chloe Tryon's left-arm spin for three fours in a row in the ninth over. She completed a fifty at a quicker pace than Harris - off 26 balls. It sealed RCB's dominant league stage, the one where they lost just two matches out of eight. That earned them a week's break before the final next Thursday.