Smriti Mandhana and Deepti Sharma in WPL 2026 [Source: @StarSportsIndia/x]Smriti Mandhana pounded 54* off 27 balls to storm the RCB Women franchise to a comprehensive win over UP Warriorz in their final league match of the WPL 2026 season. For the Warriorz, legendary all-rounder Deepti Sharma hogged the limelight earlier in the evening through her swift 55-run knock from just 43 balls at the top of the order. Apart from shaping regal half-centuries with the bat, both India teammates Smriti Mandhana and Deepti Sharma also tried to outwit each other at one stage, adding to a hilarious WPL 2026 moment at Vadodara’s Kotambi Stadium. Grace Harris laughs as Mandhana and Deepti Sharma pull back from their strides RCB openers Smriti Mandhana and Grace Harris raced to a 93-run opening partnership in just 7.5 overs in their chase of 144. Senior UP Warriorz spinner Deepti Sharma got belted for three boundaries in the first five deliveries of her second over, which also happened to be the eighth over of the RCB innings. Rushing in to bowl the final ball of the over, Deepti Sharma pulled out of her stride at the last moment. A few seconds later, on-strike batter Smriti Mandhana also pulled out of the crease just as Deepti Sharma was about to finish her over. As the two senior Indian cricketers tried to outwit each other, half-centurion Grace Harris could not hold back her laughter at the other end. The moment even drew loud cheers from the crowd at Kotambi Stadium, who thoroughly enjoyed the light-hearted exchange between the two World Cup-winning teammates.Star Sports @StarSportsIndia Well well well... now that's a battle of Champions! 😳 Deepti Sharma and Smriti Mandhana engage in some mind games in this crucial fixture! ⚡ #TATAWPL #UPWvRCB 👉 LIVE NOW ➡️ Jan 29, 2026, 10:26 PM Smriti Mandhana, Grace Harris and Nadine de Klerk blank UP WarriorzEarlier in the match, RCB captain Smriti Mandhana won the toss and opted to field first. Her bowlers restricted the UP Warriorz to just 143-8, even though they started off the game with a 74-run opening partnership in just eight overs between captain Meg Lanning and all-rounder Deepti Sharma. While Lanning was dismissed for 41, Deepti Sharma cracked 55 off 43 balls before a colossal batting collapse restricted the Warriorz to a modest total. For the RCB, Nadine de Klerk picked up figures of 4-22, which included the prized scalps of Meg Lanning and Amy Jones. In response, RCB skipper Smriti Mandhana and blistering all-rounder Grace Harris blazed to a 108-run partnership in just nine overs. Harris blasted 75 off 37 balls with 13 boundaries and two sixes before Mandhana anchored the rest of the chase to reach 54* off 27. RCB Women comfortably secured an eight-wicket win in 13.1 overs to conclude the league stage of the WPL 2026 season with six wins in eight matches. Deepti Sharma’s UP Warriorz heading towards a bottom-finish With just two wins and five defeats from seven matches, the UP Warriorz Women team is languishing at the bottom of the WPL 2026 points table. They will now face Delhi Capitals in match number 20 of the WPL 2026 season on February 1 at the same Vadodara venue. Any form of defeat, or even a win with a low-enough margin would ensure a wooden-spoon finish for the Meg Lanning-led team.
