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After suffering two consecutive defeats, Royal Challengers Bengaluru are back to winning ways as they thrashed UP Warriroz by eight wickets in the 18th fixture of the ongoing Women's Premier League (WPL) 2026 season.
With this victory, the Mandhana-led Royal Challengers Bengaluru continued to stay at the top with 12 points to their name in eight matches. They have six wins and two losses, with a Net Run Rate of +1.247. Meg Lanning's UP Warriorz are languishing at the bottom of the points table with just four points in seven matches. They have suffered five defeats and secured two wins at a Net Run Rate of -1.146. After being asked to bat first, UP Warriorz were restricted to 143/8 in 20 overs. All-rounder Deepti Sharma and captain Meg Lanning stitched a crucial 74-run stand for the opening wicket for the Warriorz. This was also UP Warriorz's first 50-plus partnership for the first wicket this season. Captain Lanning departed after scoring 41 runs off 30 deliveries, with six fours and one six. Amy Jones had a dismal outing, scoring just one run. Harleen Deol (14) didn't convert her start, whereas Chloe Tryon departed for just six runs. Deepti Sharma completed her half-century in 40 deliveries, which is also the joint-most 50-plus scores for the UP Warriorz alongside Tahila McGrath (4). The all-rounder played a fighting knock of 55 runs off 43 balls, with six fours and one six as UP Warriorz crossed the 140-run mark. For Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Lauren Bell (1/21), Shreyanka Patil (1/27), and Grace Harris (2/22) had decent outings with the ball. The star performer with the ball was Nadine de Klerk, who picked up a four-wicket haul (4/22), which broke the back of the UP Warriorz batting attack after a brilliant opening partnership. Chasing 144 runs, Captain Smriti Mandhana and Grace Harris stitched a match-winning 108-run partnership for the opening wicket. Mandhana also became the joint-most player to be involved in the most century stands in the tournament's history alongside Nat Sciver-Brunt (5). The elite list also includes Meg Lanning (4), Shafali Verma (4), and Hayley Matthews (4). Grace Harris departed after playing a blistering knock of 75 off 37 balls, with 13 fours and two sixes. Royal Challengers Bengaluru chased down the 144-run target in just 13.1 overs. Captain Smriti Mandhana remained unbeaten on 54 off 27 balls, with eight fours and two sixes, as the one-time WPL champion registered a dominating eight-wicket win. For UP Warriorz, Shikha Pandey (1/36) and Asha Sobhana (1/24) were among the wicket-takers. (ANI)
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