A high-stakes rematch of the season opener of Women’s Premier League 2026 is upon us as the table-topping Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Women take on a struggling Mumbai Indians (MI) Women at the BCA Stadium in Vadodara.
While RCB’s flawless five-match winning streak was recently snapped by the Delhi Capitals, they remain the team to beat. Conversely, the defending champions, Mumbai Indians, are desperate to snap a three-match losing skid and keep their playoff hopes alive.
RCB will look to prove their recent loss was a mere hiccup. Skipper Smriti Mandhana has been in fine touch, but the middle order featuring Richa Ghosh and Radha Yadav needs to step up after their recent collapse.
Harmanpreet Kaur’s side has struggled for consistency. While Amelia Kerr and Hayley Matthews have shown flashes of brilliance, the team has faltered in closing out games. In their previous meeting this season, RCB pulled off a heist, winning by 3 wickets on the final ball thanks to Nadine de Klerk’s heroic 63*.
RCB-W vs MI-W, WPL 2026: Match details
- Date and Time: January 26; 07:30 pm IST/ 2:00 pm GMT
- Venue: BCA Stadium, Vadodara
RCB-W vs MI-W, Head-to-Head Record in WPL
Matches played: 8 | Mumbai Indians won: 4 | Royal Challengers Bengaluru won: 4 | No result: 0
BCA Stadium Pitch Report
The pitch at the BCA Stadium in Vadodara has proven to be a tale of two halves. While it remains a high-quality surface with true bounce and a fast outfield that rewards stroke-makers early on, the black soil composition causes it to slow down significantly as the match progresses.
Recent WPL fixtures here have seen the ball hold up, assisting spinners and pacers who use slower variations. However, the most critical factor remains the evening dew, which often skids the ball onto the bat and makes chasing significantly easier. With chasing teams winning 7 out of 8 games this season, the toss will be pivotal.
Also READ: Bowlers shine as Delhi Capitals crush RCB to climb second spot in WPL 2026
Squads
Mumbai Indians: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Nat Sciver-Brunt, Hayley Matthews, Amanjot Kaur, G. Kamalini, Amelia Kerr, Shabnim Ismail, Sanskriti Gupta, Sajana Sajeevan, Rahila Firdous, Nicola Carey, Poonam Khemnar, Triveni Vasishta, Nalla Reddy, Saika Ishaque, Milly Illingworth
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Smriti Mandhana (c), Richa Ghosh, Shreyanka Patil, Georgia Voll, Nadine de Klerk, Radha Yadav, Lauren Bell, Linsey Smith, Prema Rawat, Arundhati Reddy, Pooja Vastrakar, Grace Harris, Gautami Naik, Prathyoosha Kumar, D. Hemalatha, Sayali Satghare
RCB-W vs MI-W, WPL 2026: Today’s Match Prediction
Case 1:
- Mumbai Indians Women wins the toss and bowl first
- Royal Challengers Bengaluru Women’s powerplay score: 50-60
- Royal Challengers Bengaluru Women’s total score: 160-170
Case 2:
- Royal Challengers Bengaluru Women wins the toss and bowl first
- Mumbai Indians Women’s powerplay score: 40-50
- Mumbai Indians Women’s total score: 150-160
Match result: Team bowling first to win the match.
Also WATCH: Lizelle Lee plucks a blinder to dismiss Radha Yadav in RCB-W vs DC-W clash at WPL 2026
This article was first published at WomenCricket.com, a Cricket Times company.
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