Bengaluru, (UNI) Grace Harris’ blistering 85 powered Royal Challengers Bengaluru Women (RCBW) to a dominant nine-wicket victory over UP Warriorz Women (UPW) in the fifth match of the Women’s Premier League 2026, helping RCBW reclaim the top spot on the points table.
Chasing a modest 144, RCBW’s openers Harris and Smriti Mandhana (47 not out) forged a commanding 137-run partnership off 69 balls, with 78 runs coming in the PowerPlay alone. Their aggressive start neutralised UPW’s total after the visitors’ top order collapsed, leaving them to post only 143 for 5 in their 20 overs.
UPW experimented with Harleen Deol as Meg Lanning’s partner, but the move failed. Lanning survived a low catch early on, but successive wickets fell, including Kiran Navgire and Shweta Sehrawat, as Nadine de Klerk and RCB’s bowlers exploited the top-order fragility. Deandra Dottin and Deepti Sharma fought back in the latter half, adding 93 runs for the final wicket, ensuring a competitive total.
In response, Harris and Mandhana attacked from the start, racing to 46 without loss in five overs. Harris’ PowerPlay assault, including three sixes and three fours off Dottin, produced a 32-run over, marking one of the most expensive in WPL history.
Mandhana and Harris took RCB past 100 by the eighth over. After Harris’ dismissal at 85, Richa Ghosh contributed quickly, and the chase was completed in 12.1 overs with seven wickets in hand.
Brief scores: UP Warriorz 143/5 in 20 overs (Deepti Sharma 45*, Deandra Dottin 40*; Nadine de Klerk 2-28, Shreyanka Patil 2-50) lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru 145/1 in 12.1 overs (Grace Harris 85, Smriti Mandhana 47*; Shikha Pandey 1-28) by 9 wickets.
This win maintains RCBW’s perfect start to the season and underscores Harris’ destructive form.
Grace Harris blitz powers RC to win over UP Warriorz
