RCB eye extension of winning streak as UP Warriorz pose stern challenge

After a thrilling win in the tournament opener, RCB return to action for their second game of the season. This time, they will be playing the UP Warriorz who went down fighting in their first game against the Gujarat Giants. Going by the strength of the two teams, one can expect this cracker to be a fascinating one.

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru will be focusing on getting the right mix in their batting unit. In the last game, a fine start by Smriti Mandhana and Grace Harris set the ball rolling but an unexpected collapse in the middle order brought the entire onus on the burly shoulders of Nadine de Klerk, and it was the Protean who got the job done for RCB in company of Arundhati Reddy and later, Prema Rawat.

Mandhana and company will be hopeful of getting their batting order sorted while expecting a similar performance from the bowlers that left Mumbai struggling. Lauren Bell will have a key role to play, on the back of her stunning show against the Mumbai Indians.

The Warriorz saw Phoebe Litchfield leading the charge for them while former RCB all-rounder, Asha Sobhana smashed a quickfire 27 at the end of the innings to keep them alive. Last year when the two teams met for the first time, things went down the wire literally as WPL witnessed its first Super Over. However, RCB dropped the ball in the Super Over while the return fixture was won by the Warriorz as RCB stopped at 213 while chasing 225.

Last year’s outcomes will be an added incentive for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru to try and come out on top.

Venue watch:

Runs have been scored aplenty in the last four games with three 200-plus scores and a couple of 190s. The surface has been conducive for the batters with a trace of help for the slow bowlers. With the dew coming in play in the latter half of the contest, batting will get a lot easier. Another high-scoring encounter might be on the cards.

Match details:

Match – Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs UP Warriorz

Venue – Dr. D.Y. Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai

Date –12th January, 2026

Time – 7:30 PM

Head-to-head:

Matches played - 6

RCB - 3

UPW – 3

Squads:

Royal Challengers Bengaluru:

Smriti Mandhana (c), Richa Ghosh, Sayali Satghare, 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

UP Warriorz:

Meg Lanning (c), Shweta Sehrawat, Deepti Sharma, Sophie Ecclestone, Phoebe Litchfield, Kiran Navgire, Harleen Deol, Kranti Goud, Asha Sobhana, Deandra Dottin, Shikha Pandey, Shipra Giri, Simran Shaikh, Chloe Tryon, Suman Meena, G. Trisha, Pratika Rawal, Charli Knott