RCB eye final berth while Mumbai Indians seek survival in WPL 2026 clash

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru gear up for another stern challenge as they lock horns with Mumbai Indians in their penultimate WPL 2026 clash. After suffering their first defeat of WPL 2026, they would be hopeful of returning to winning ways as the final berth is well within grasp.

As the games go on in Vadodara, the surface hasn’t exactly been batting friendly and RCB will try and navigate the cross-currents with smart batting. Their star-studded top order will be the ones to watch out for with Grace Harris, Smriti Mandhana and Georgia Voll featuring in it.

More than their batting, RCB will continue to pin their hopes on their bowling unit which has so far looked in great shape. Lauren Bell, Sayali Satghare and Shreyanka Patil have come together to form a powerhouse of a bowling unit which can once again be key, especially considering the mighty batting unit of Mumbai Indians.

Mumbai has got a power-packed batting unit led by Harmanpreet Kaur and Nat Sciver-Brunt. With the presence of Hayley Matthews, Amelia Kerr, Amanjot Kaur in the middle-order, they have a solid side as well, thereby making this clash an intriguing one. Also, with this being a must-win clash for the Indians, they will be going all guns blazing at RCB, thereby amping up the stakes.

Venue watch:

The track in Vadodara has been a tricky one with the ball sticking around. This makes life a lot more difficult for the batters. Despite the dew easing things for them in the second half, batters will still have to be watchful. Runs will have to be earned and it can be a modest-scoring thriller.

Match details:

Match –Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Mumbai Indians

Venue – Vadodara International Cricket Stadium, Kotambi

Date – 26th January, 2026

Time – 7:30 PM

Head-to-head:

Matches played - 8

RCB - 5

MI – 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

Mumbai Indians:

Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Nat Sciver-Brunt, Hayley Matthews, Amanjot Kaur, G. Kamalini, Amelia Kerr, Shabnim Ismail, Sanskriti Gupta, Sajana Sajeevan, Rahila Firdous, Nicola Carey, Poonam Khemnar, Triveni Vasistha, Nalla Reddy, Saika Ishaque, Milly Illingworth