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RCB Opt to Bowl vs UPW in WPL 2026 Clash, Gautami Replaces Prema

Royal Challengers Bengaluru won the toss and chose to field first against UP Warriorz in their WPL 2026 encounter at the DY Patil Stadium. Captain Smriti Mandhana explained the decision, referencing the significant dew factor that makes chasing advantageous at the venue. RCB made one change to their lineup, bringing in Gautami Naik to replace Prema Rawat. UP Warriorz, led by Meg Lanning, opted for an unchanged playing XI from their previous match.

Key Points: WPL 2026: RCB vs UPW Toss, Playing XI, and Team News

  • RCB wins toss and bowls first
  • Gautami Naik in for Prema Rawat
  • Mandhana cites dew as key factor
  • UP Warriorz unchanged from last match
2 min read

WPL 2026: Gautami comes in for Prema as RCB elect to bowl against UPW

RCB elects to field against UP Warriorz in WPL 2026. Smriti Mandhana cites dew factor as Gautami Naik replaces Prema Rawat. Full playing XIs inside.

"Any total isn't good enough at DY Patil Stadium. - Smriti Mandhana"

Navi Mumbai, Jan 12

Royal Challengers Bengaluru won the toss and elected to field against UP Warriorz in the fifth match of the Women's Premier League 2026 at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai on Monday. RCB included Gautami Naik in place of Prema Rawat, as the Warriorz have fielded the same playing XI as in the last match.

RCB captain Smriti Mandhana said, "We would like to field first today. We have seen dew coming in the latter half of the innings. The first match worked well for us. DY Patil has been a big chasing ground. Yesterday, DC could have chased that total down. Any total isn't good enough at DY Patil Stadium. It's always easy to know as a batting unit how much you are gonna get.

"Nadine (de Klerk) got us through in both departments, but in the tournaments like these, some players are going to stand out in some matches. It's about contribution, and we all really want to contribute in the top order as well. Looking forward to having new match winners in every match. We have one change, Gautami comes in for Prema," said Mandhana.

UP Warriorz captain Meg Lanning said, "We were going to have a chase as well, but the teams batting first have games this season. Regardless, we have to bat well. Hopefully, we do well with the bat, get off a good start, and post a good score. We did a lot of things right. We chased well. Kept ourselves in the game. We also bowled well in some patches. Good signs. Hopefully, we can take some confidence into this game. Having said that, we spent a good week together. Hopefully, we can improve a bit tonight and get a win. Same side tonight."

Playing XIs:

UP Warriorz Women: Kiran Prabhu Navgire, Meg Lanning (c), Phoebe Litchfield, Shweta Sehrawat (wk), Harleen Deol, Deepti Sharma, Sophie Ecclestone, Deandra Dottin, Kranti Gaud, Asha Shobana, Shikha Pandey

Royal Challengers Bengaluru Women: Grace Harris, Smriti Mandhana (c), Dayalan Hemalatha, Richa Ghosh (wk), Radha Yadav, Nadine de Klerk, Arundhati Reddy, Shreyanka Patil, Linsey Smith, Lauren Bell, Gautami Naik.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

R
Rahul R
Interesting change. Prema wasn't looking in great touch last match, so giving Gautami a chance makes sense. But our batting needs to fire more consistently. Too much reliance on Smriti and Richa.
P
Priyanka N
UPW's batting looks solid on paper with Lanning, Litchfield, and our own Deepti Sharma! Hope Harleen Deol gets some runs today. UP zaalim team hai, but RCB is strong too. Exciting match! 🏏
A
Aman W
Good to see more Indian players getting opportunities like Gautami. WPL is doing wonders for our women's cricket depth. Hope she grabs her chance with both hands!
K
Kiran H
Respectfully, I think the constant chopping and changing of the XI, especially for young Indian players, can hurt their confidence. Prema gets one game, Gautami gets the next. Need a bit more patience.
M
Michael C
Watching from Australia. Lanning vs. Mandhana is always a great captaincy duel. The WPL standard keeps getting better. Hope for a high-scoring thriller!

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