The main thing for me is being really clear on my role – Lauren Bell

Lauren Bell came up with another clinical show of discipline with the ball as RCB cemented their spot in the WPL 2026 final. Bell registered figures of 4-0-21-1, adding another fine show to her list of fine performances. Her clinical discipline at the start kept UP Warriorz in check despite the growing partnership between Deepti Sharma and Meg Lanning.

She returned in the 17th over to complete her spell and struck Shweta Sehrawat on the very first ball. She concluded the over with just two runs coming from it, exacerbating the woes of UP. Talking at the post-match presentation, Bell opened up on how this win was well deserved. She also highlighted that this was always going to happen, especially after the dominant start by the Royal Challengers.

Talking about the win and the break in between, Bell said, “Yeah, definitely. I think we started the tournament really strongly, so we’re obviously really happy to get the win tonight, go straight through to the final, and earn a bit of downtime now. That break will be important before next Thursday.”

Shedding light on her stringent discipline with the ball, Lauren added, “Yeah, I feel like I’ve found a nice rhythm and things are coming out well. The main thing for me is being really clear on my role and understanding exactly what Smriti wants me to do. I’m just really happy I’ve been able to contribute to the team and put in performances that have helped us get over the line.”

Highlighting the different plans that RCB had on their minds regarding the potential opening partnership of UPW, Bell stated, “Yeah, we weren’t sure who was going to open (for UP Warriorz), so we prepared for a few different options. With the left-hander, it’s pretty similar to how I approach any lefty. My first option is to attack the pads and bring the slips into play. I was really clear on my plan. She (Deepti) probably got the better of me a couple of times tonight, but I stuck to what I wanted to do.”

She also underlined the conditions in play, adding, “Yeah, it was definitely better than the first game. I think the second and third games here have played a lot better. There was a bit of bounce for me, apart from the odd one that stopped. Pace off seemed to work nicely towards the end. Overall, it was a good pitch, and I think we could’ve put on a really good total if we’d batted the full 20 overs.”

Bell concluded by talking about her fielding position and the swap with Nadine de Klerk that led to the catch of Deepti Sharma, stating, “No, I didn’t ask for it. I’d done a few squats there and I guess it was a hot spot they wanted to cover. Nadine’s a great fielder, so if there was going to be a chance, they wanted her there. I’m happy to help out wherever the team needs me.”