RCB Bound for Final as De Klerk, Harris Destroy UPW

Nadine de Klerk's 4-wicket haul and Grace Harris's explosive 75 off 37 balls propelled Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to a dominant 8-wicket win over UP Warriorz, securing their spot in the WPL 2026 final. Harris's partnership with Smriti Mandhana, who scored an unbeaten 54, helped RCB chase down the target of 144 in just 13.1 overs. 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. Meg Lanning and Deepti Sharma gave UP Warriorz a blazing start, putting on a 50-run partnership without losing a wicket in the powerplay. After a slow start, they exploded in the last three overs, scoring 38 runs. Deepti's aggressive batting, including a four and a six, set the tone, while Lanning's powerful hitting, including three fours off Arundhati Reddy, took UPW's run rate above 9.50. This strong start sets up UPW's challenge. Grace Harris and Smriti Mandhana demolished UPW's bowling, with Harris hitting Kranti Gaud for five fours in one over. Gaud's two overs yielded 29 runs, and she didn't bowl again. Harris's aggressive batting set the tone, and though Shikha Pandey eventually got her wicket, it was too late to salvage the situation for UPW. Mandhana's unbeaten 54 and Harris's explosive 75 propelled RCB to a comfortable win. De Klerk's bowling prowess and Harris's all-round performance were instrumental in RCB's victory, which also knocked UP Warriorz out of the tournament. Royal Challengers Bengaluru 147 for 2 (Harris 75, Mandhana 54*, Sobhana 1-24) beat UP Warriorz 143 for 8 (Deepti 55, Lanning 41, de Klerk 4-22, Harris 2-22) by eight wickets