The opening clash of the Women’s Premier League 2026 pits defending champions Mumbai Indians Women against Royal Challengers Bengaluru Women at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai. Both teams enter with strong squads bolstered by international stars, setting the stage for a high-stakes opener on January 9. Mumbai Indians, led by captain Harmanpreet Kaur, boast a balanced lineup featuring Nat Sciver-Brunt, Hayley Matthews and Amelia Kerr for explosive batting and versatile all-round contributions.
Harmanpreet’s Mumbai Indians hold a historical edge in head-to-head encounters, winning 4 of 6 previous matches against RCB Women, including a thrilling chase of 167 in their last meeting. The defending champions rely on Shabnim Ismail‘s pace and Saika Ishaque‘s spin to exploit early conditions, while Amanjot Kaur and Nicola Carey add middle-order muscle. RCB, captained by Smriti Mandhana, counter with Richa Ghosh‘s finishing power, Shreyanka Patil‘s off-spin, and new recruit Grace Harris for aggressive strokeplay, aiming to reverse past fortunes
MI-W vs RCB-W, WPL 2026: Match details
- Date and Time: January 09; 07:30 pm IST/ 2:00 pm GMT
- Venue: DY Patil Sports Academy, Navi Mumbai
MI-W vs RCB-W, Head-to-Head Record in WPL
Matches played: 7 | Mumbai Indians won: 4 | Royal Challengers Bengaluru won: 3 | No result: 0
DY Patil Sports Academy Pitch Report
Dr DY Patil Sports Academy’s pitch has historically favoured batters in WPL, offering true bounce and short boundaries (around 65m straight). In WPL 2025 here, teams posting 160+ defended successfully twice, but chases under dew succeeded 70% of the time. Captains winning the toss may prefer to chase after winning the toss looking at the conditions.
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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
MI-W vs RCB-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: 40-50
- Royal Challengers Bengaluru Women’s total score: 140-150
Case 2:
- Royal Challengers Bengaluru Women wins the toss and bowl first
- Mumbai Indians Women’s powerplay score: 50-60
- Mumbai Indians Women’s total score: 150-160
Match result: Team bowling first to win the match.
Also READ: Aakash Chopra predicts the winner and Orange Cap holder for WPL 2026 edition
This article was first published at WomenCricket.com, a Cricket Times company.
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