Grace Harris thwarted her former side UP Warriorz with a rapid 85-run knock in Match 5 of the Women’s Premier League 2026 season on Monday. The match in Navi Mumbai saw Grace Harris fire for her side in a 144-run chase. Alongside Smriti Mandhana, she was part of a 137-run stand for the opening wicket. RCB won the contest by 9 wickets.
Grace Harris was brilliant from the start and looked fluent. Her exploits helped RCB score 78 runs in the powerplay overs (1-6). Notably, the 6th over of RCB’s innings produced 32 runs. Grace Harris went berserk and completed a 22-ball fifty. She continued with her tempo after the powerplay with Mandhana too playing a solid role. Grace Harris departed in the 12th over to Shikha Pandey.Grace Harris was in full flow for RCB and smashed 85 runs off 40 balls.
She hammered 10 fours and 5 sixes (SR: 212.50). Playing her 24th WPL match, Grace Harris has raced to 691 runs at 34.55. She clocked her 4th fifty. She has got to 26 sixes and 88 fours, as per ESPNcricinfo. In 2 matches this season, she owns 110 runs at 55.Grace Harris now owns the 3rd-highest score for RCB in WPL. Her 85 is behind Sophie Devine’s 99 and Ellyse Perry’s 90*. Meanwhile, Grace Harris’ 85 is the 2nd-highest score for RCB against UPW after Perry’s unbeaten 90.
Grace Harris and Mandhana added an opening stand of 137 runs. This is now the highest stand for RCB (any wicket), bettering Mandhana and Devine’s 125-run stand (opening wicket) against GG in 2023. This also became RCB’s maiden century-plus stand against UPW in WPL.
Overall, this is the 5th-highest stand (any wicket) in WPL history.
Grace Harris’ explosive 85 off 40 balls powered Royal Challengers Bengaluru to an emphatic nine-wicket win over UP Warriorz in the Women’s Premier League 2026 on Monday, January 12. It was Bengaluru’s biggest margin of victory in the tournament, as they wrapped up the chase with 47 balls to spare while Meg Lanning and Co. crumbled with both bat and ball.
Pitch Report and Toss
Pitch and Conditions:Â “It’s game number 5 of Season 4, RCB taking on UP Warriors. Let’s start with the dimensions first because there is a bias here tonight. On my right is the longest side, 61 metres. On my left is the shorter one, 53. Straight down is 66. It’s been very high-scoring. This is actually the pitch that we used on the first night.
So, RCB have played on this, and ironically, that was the lowest-scoring game that we’ve had so far. I spoke to the curator and he said he’s taken a little bit of grass off this now. So, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see another high-scoring game tonight. There’s been some differences between the bowlers. So, it’s actually been very seam-dominant so far.
So, they’ve taken 35 wickets at an economy of about 8.5, whereas the spinners, they’re getting hit into the very, very furthest parts of the stands – they’ve only taken 18 wickets, and they’re going around 10. High-scoring affair, but as a bowler, try and hit the stumps, attack the stumps. Well, the dew factor hasn’t been matched so far, and that’s the reason three out of the four games have been defended successfully. So, you want to chase, but batting first, it’s not a bad idea,” reckons Deep Dasgupta and Kate Cross.
Toss : RCB Women skipper Smriti Mandhana won the toss and chose to bowl with one change in the Playing XI bringing in Gautami Naik for Prema Rawat. UP Warriorz women skipper Meg Lanning batting first made no changes in the Playing XI.
Deandra Dottin and Deepti Sharma powers UPW to 143 for 5 from precarious 50 for 5 in 20 overs
Warriorz came out with a new batting partner for Meg Lanning in Harleen Deol, but the experiment failed to get the desired result. Harleen fetched a couple of boundaries, but it wasn’t until Phoebe Litchfield’s arrival – in the final over of the PowerPlay – that the team showcased the intent needed. UPW were in for more blows, though.
In an effort similar to her opening-night honours, Lauren Bell swung the new ball and troubled Warriorz’s openers in her first two overs. In trying to break the stranglehold, Harleen Deol attempted to jailbreak in her third, but could only spoon a catch to Smriti Mandhana at mid-off for a 14-ball 11. And just like that, UP Warriorz had seen two different opening pairs come and go without giving them the start they were after.
Lanning got an early reprieve when the replays found the low catch Arundhati Reddy claimed, off Shreyanka Patil, to have kissed the ground. But the offspinner’s following over brought wickets at either end. Lanning sent another low catch to Radha Yadav who held on to a sharp one running in from deep midwicket. Litchfield counter-attacked with a reverse sweep for six before swatting the last ball of the over straight to Smriti Mandhana at mid-on.
She was denied a wicket in her first over – the sixth of the innings – when Meg Lanning’s swipe landed agonisingly short of Arundhati Reddy at backward square leg, but Shreyanka Patil had Lanning hack uncharacteristically to Radha Yadav at deep midwicket off her next.In the same over, she also had a second wicket when Phoebe Litchfield flat-batted a short ball straight to Mandhana at mid-on, shortly after having reverse-swept her for six.
Nadine de Klerk then got two in two balls to dent UPW further. Kiran Navgire, who opened her account with a boundary, went for an ill-advised heave with the team reeling at 50/3 and found deep midwicket. Shweta Sehrawat was then lured into a drive with a full and wide delivery, and sliced a catch straight to backward point. RCB bowled out Bell by the halfway mark, her 1/16 restricting UPW to just 56/5.
Coming off a four-for and an unbeaten half-century against Mumbai Indians, de Klerk began with two wickets off her first two deliveries. Kiran Navgire fell first when she heaved a length ball to cow corner, while Shweta Sehrawat was brilliantly caught at backward point by Reddy. Warriorz were in all sorts of trouble at 50 for 5.
For the next 27 deliveries, Warriorz collected only 25 runs before Deandra Dottin broke the shackles with a four and a six off Patil. The fifty partnership was up in 46 deliveries, setting them up for a death-overs flourish. They collected 43 in the last-four overs, with Patil leaking 15 in the 20th. The unbroken 93-run stand gave Warriorz a respectable 143 on the board which looked a distant dream at 50/5.
This was the perfect fire-and-ice combination on paper. But on Monday, they were both mellower and batted risk-free for much of their unbeaten 93-run partnership. Deandra Dottin signalled a change of intent when she went after Patil in her third over – the 15th – by muscling a length ball for six over long-on. That galvanised both batters to break free; Deepti Sharma gave the perfect finish by going after Patil in a 15-run final over that helped them finish with 143.
Grace Harris’s fiery 85 powers RCB-women to dominating 9 wicket win over UP Warriorz
RCB’s chase of 144 began in dominant fashion, with Mandhana and Harris taking control from the outset. While Mandhana played the anchor role, Grace Harris was clearly intent on making a statement. After RCB’s first game raised questions about their batting depth — with more all-rounders than specialist batters — Grace Harris answered emphatically.
She had shown flashes against Mumbai Indians before a brief stumble, but on Monday there was no repeat. Grace Harris started briskly, went momentarily quiet as Mandhana showcased her shot-making, and then completely took over.
That, however, was never going to be enough for the conditions. Grace Harris and Mandhana came out all guns blazing, and spared neither spin nor pace of UPW’s vaunted attack. The duo dealt in boundaries to march to 46/0 in just five overs. Grace Harris then unleashed carnage in the final PowerPlay over, hitting Dottin to all parts of the ground with three sixes and as many boundaries. The 32-run over from Dottin became the joint-most expensive in WPL history, and her only in the game.
With two rookies in their top four, RCB could’ve chosen to play safe by having Gautami Naik partner Mandhana. But they took the aggressive route, and Grace Harris justified that decision by muscling a 22-ball half-century as RCB wiped out 78 in the powerplay alone.
The turning point came in the final over of the powerplay, when Grace Harris dismantled Deandre Dottin. The over began with a boundary, followed by a no-ball. The free hit sailed over the ropes, and Grace Harris followed it up with another boundary and two sixes to bring up a 22-ball fifty — an onslaught that effectively ended the contest.
This included a stunning takedown of Dottin in the sixth over that went for 32, courtesy three fours and three sixes. Having begun the over on 25 off 17, Grace Harris brought up her half-century in the same over. Anything in her arc was tonked downtown, and anything marginally short was either swatted through cover or mercilessly pulled.
Meg Lanning turned to Sophie Ecclestone, but the damage had already been done. Mandhana chipped in with a couple of boundaries before Harris went after Asha Shobana. By the end of the eighth over, RCB had raced to 104, leaving UP Warriorz with no way back. Grace Harris continued to attack and looked set to register the first century of WPL 2026, but Mandhana also joined the charge, ensuring the Australian would have to wait. Grace Harris eventually fell for 85, with the target already reduced to single digits.
Harris’ carnage from one end made Mandhana’s unbeaten 47 seem like a sideshow, it was anything but. The lofted inside-out four off Deepti with the target within touching distance may alone have been worth the entry fee.
Mandhana welcomed Sophie Ecclestone into the attack with back-to-back boundaries and, at the other end, Grace Harris tore into Asha Sobhana with a six and a four to take RCB past the 100-run mark as early as in the eighth over. The Australian got a life on 84 and only lasted one more ball, with Shikha Pandey getting her side a compensatory breakthrough.
As if to remind everyone she was also there in the party, Mandhana welcomed Sophie Ecclestone by hitting her for two fours off her first three balls. The haemorrhage continued when Asha Sobhana, ex-RCB, was tonked for 17 in her first over. The damage though was already done. RCB promoted Richa Ghosh at one-down with only seven more needed and she got off the mark with a four. Four more byes sealed the deal for Mandhana & Co. with 7.5 overs to spare.
Presentations and Road Ahead
Meg Lanning the losing UP Warriorz skipper said : (not the start to the tournament) No, of course not. We would have loved to start with a win or two, but we were outplayed tonight by RCB. They bowled really well up front, put us under pressure and never allowed us to get away. It wasn’t our best night, but the good thing is the games come thick and fast, so we can move on quickly.
(quick turnaround) That’s right. Sometimes that can actually be a good thing. There are definitely areas we need to tidy up – particularly at the top of the order, myself included. We had too many dot balls early. But credit to RCB, they were excellent up front and once they got ahead, they really drove the game home. We’ll review it, see what we can improve, and move forward.
(why Shikha bowled cross-seam with the new ball) I’m not entirely sure, we’ll have a chat about it. Shikha is one of the best bowlers in this competition and she mixes it up – sometimes trying to get swing, sometimes hitting the pitch harder to get something off the surface.
It didn’t quite come off tonight, unfortunately, but that happens. (how do you plan against Harris) It’s very difficult once she’s in that mood. She hits all areas of the ground – she has brute power, but tonight she also showed how well she can play straight down the ground. Once she gets into that rhythm, she’s hard to stop. Unfortunately for us, she got going today and we couldn’t rein her in.
Smriti Mandhana the winning RCB Women skipper said : Yeah, I mean, it was the best seat in the house for me to watch Grace whack those balls. But, I mean, the bowling, the way everyone bowled and chipped in and executed the plans, I mean, that was something really special to watch.
(on Bell) Yeah, I mean, I was just joking around that how she’s going to get plans back home, because the last two matches, the first three overs, I mean, she’s just not letting anyone touch the ball, which I feel she can keep continuing doing that and set the tone for us. I mean, just giving six overs and 30-odd runs, I mean, that’s how you start the bowling innings when you win the toss.
(on their fielding) Yes, we discussed that we were not really on point in the first match in terms of field sets and how we were moving. And so, I’m really happy that everyone was in the right positions today. Bowlers knew what we were going to do. Having lefty and righty throughout, still executing the plans throughout the 20-over, that’s something which the whole team can be really proud about.
And it’s just a start. (on Harris) I mean, everyone, all I need to do is take a single and she keeps going. And it was just amazing to watch. I wouldn’t like to rate because it’s a wrong thing to do that. But yeah, again, Shafali, Grace, I mean, all these players, it’s just easy to bat in T20 cricket.
You just have to give a single and they just take on the bowlers. I don’t know where, if I would be leading from the other team, it would have been a really hard place to be at because you don’t know where to bowl at. (will Harris continue to open?) Yeah, we had a little bit of discussion on how we want the batting order to look like because she can do middle order as well because that’s what she does for the Aussie team.
But she does open for the Brisbane Heat at Big Bash. But I think we all were very, very clear of how dangerous she can be up front. And if she gets going, it’s almost you take away the match from the opposition. So, yeah, we thought we’ll back her in the powerplay. She’s just been batting the first innings as well, she was just smacking the ball.
(feeling good about winning the title?) Yeah, again, with RCB, one thing I’ve learned is not to speak too ahead of anything. You have to just keep doing your work. One thing, again, I believe is just put your hard work in. And I just feel this is the most hardworking group we’ve got in the last three, four years. Everyone just really switched on. So, we’re just really focusing on smaller things and doing things right. And let’s see how we go around.
Grace Harris Player of the Match for her ballistic 85 runs said : Â It’s pretty good. I’m just really happy that some of the work that I’ve been doing with my batting is kind of… It’s paying off out in the middle at the moment and it’s going quite well. So, I guess I’m loving my time with RCB. I’ve always enjoyed the WPL competition. It’s a great set-up and, yeah, just really loving life at the moment.
(on opening the batting) Yeah, that is true. I did kind of think I’d be facing a bit of an older ball. So, I was preparing for, you know, change-up deliveries and maybe batting at the death. But, I guess, Malo bhai (Malolan Rangarajan) is what I call him, but he’s been fantastic. He just kind of came over to me at a training session and was just like, you know, you might want to face a new ball.
I think we’re opening and I just thought, oh, how good. I get to bat with Smriti. She’s so classy and just calm. It’s a great reminder when you watch her bat that you don’t actually even have to over-hit the ball when you watch her. She makes batting look so easy, so smooth and technically correct that it’s just good. (on naming her bats after burgers) I haven’t named it yet.
So, it could be an Indian burger that I might name it after. But, it’s got a good middle so far and I’ve worked well with it so far. So far so good. (nice ground to bat) Yeah, yeah. I think you definitely have to take advantage of the very good conditions that you get in the second innings. It’s probably a ground where if you win the toss you do want to bowl first and it’s probably that little bit of an advantage.
But, having said that, I think if you can play the conditions really good, we saw the other game was 200 vs. 200. So, I guess full credit to our bowlers for keeping them to only 144, which makes a chase like that a little bit easier in the back of your mind.
And then, when you get good conditions, I think Kate Cross said it on comms earlier on the TV. She said, you know, you’re ready to start hitting for six. And I said, don’t jinx me now. But, you’ve got to take full advantage of the conditions soon. (not shifting from opening now?) Maybe. I’ll put my head up for anything. If I get into the 11 and I get to play cricket, it’s good fun.
They began with a scrappy last-ball win to kick off WPL 2026, but there was nothing scrappy about Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) second win, over UP Warriorz, on Monday night.Grace Harris tore into her former franchise with a breathtaking assault, sending the ball to all parts of the DY Patil Stadium. By the time she was out for a 40-ball 85, RCB needed just seven runs to win with 50 deliveries remaining.
What a statement win from RCB. They have finished this chase with a minimum of effort. Once Grace Harris got going, nothing was going to stop her. She bulldozed the UPW bowlers who had no answers. Smriti was happy to play second-fiddle. The opening stand knocked the stuffing out of UPW and Harris finally fell after a devastating knock. Two in two for RCB and this will boost their NRR hugely as well
When UP Warriorz chose to retain just one player before heading into the auction with the biggest purse, it signalled a full reset. While such rebuilds can sometimes work — as seen with Punjab Kings in IPL 2025 — they don’t always guarantee immediate success. Despite retaining a core and appointing Meg Lanning as captain, many rated UP Warriorz as one of the strongest teams on paper after the auction. However, the opening two matches suggest lingering issues around identity and chemistry.
The opening combination remains unsettled, with Lanning partnering Kiran Navgire in the first match and Harleen Deol on Monday. Both pairings failed, setting the tone for below-par batting efforts. The approach in pressure situations has also been questionable, with batters repeatedly trying to hit their way out of trouble.
Game awareness appeared to be missing. Litchfield, who batted at No.3 in the opening match, dropped to No.4 on Monday and also threw her wicket away. Lanning was blunt in her post-match assessment.There are clearly multiple areas for UP Warriorz to address — but the most pressing task remains finding a clear identity as the tournament progresses.
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