RCB Crowned WPL 2026 Champions

Match Recap

Royal Challengers Bengaluru claimed their second Women's Premier League title in commanding fashion, defeating Delhi Capitals by 6 wickets with 8 balls remaining at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on February 5, 2026. For us, the defining feature of this chase was its control — RCB never looked in trouble after the first 10 minutes.

Two early wickets inside the powerplay brought Smriti Mandhana to the crease at No. 3, and what followed was a 165-run partnership with Georgia Voll — the highest third-wicket stand in WPL history. DC's bowlers had no answer to the combination of Mandhana's placement and Voll's calmness under pressure. By the time the partnership was broken, RCB needed fewer than 40 runs from 50 balls with four wickets in hand. The title was effectively decided.

Smriti Mandhana — Player of the Match

Mandhana's 96 off 61 balls was, in our analysis, a captain's innings of the highest order. Coming to the crease with RCB at 28 for 2, she immediately assessed the pitch, saw the value in rotating strike, and built her innings with intelligence. The hallmark of her knock was how she mixed accumulation with controlled aggression — singles and twos to keep the scoreboard moving, boundaries when the bowlers erred in length.

She fell four runs short of a century, caught at long-on attempting to clear the boundary for a sixth six. By that stage, RCB required just 18 runs from 24 balls. The innings capped a remarkable season for Mandhana — she finished as the tournament's leading run-scorer with 377 runs at an average of 47, and more importantly, she captained from the front throughout.

Georgia Voll — Breakthrough Performance

The player who captured the most attention in the aftermath of the final was Georgia Voll, the Australian import who finished 58* off 42 balls. At 21 years old, she batted with the composure of someone with far more experience — finding gaps, rotating strike, and holding her nerve when Mandhana departed with still 18 runs needed.

What we found particularly impressive about Voll was her tactical awareness. On a pitch that offered some turn, she was quick to use her feet against the spinners and push singles into the off side. The RCB management's decision to pick her ahead of Sophie Devine in the playing XI was a brave call that paid off spectacularly. We expect Voll to be one of the most sought-after overseas signings heading into WPL 2027.

Harmanpreet Kaur's Fighting 74

For Delhi Capitals, captain Harmanpreet Kaur produced one of the finest innings of the season — a controlled 74* off 42 balls that gave DC a competitive 203 on a pitch that, while batting-friendly, offered something for the bowlers early on. Her 58-run partnership with Alice Capsey (31) stabilised the innings after DC had lost two wickets inside the first six overs.

DC's bowling, however, never found the rhythm needed to contain RCB's top order. Shreyanka Patil's 2 for 28 was the standout performance, but overall the attack lacked the penetration required on a surface that allowed RCB's batters to play freely. The loss marks DC's fourth consecutive WPL final defeat — a record that will sting the franchise deeply heading into 2027.

WPL 2026 — Final Points Table

WPL 2026 — Top Performers

WPL 2027 — What to Expect

WPL 2026 consolidated the tournament's position as the premier women's domestic T20 competition globally. The quality on display — Mandhana's batting, Voll's emergence, Harmanpreet's continued excellence — suggests the 2027 season, expected to expand to seven teams, will raise the bar further. RCB look well-placed to build a sustained winning culture around the Mandhana-Voll partnership.

Across the full season, WPL 2026 reached a cumulative television and streaming audience of 28 million viewers, with the final alone drawing 4.2 million concurrent viewers on JioCinema. The growth trajectory suggests WPL is on course to rival IPL viewership in women's cricket within three to four seasons.