🏏WPL 2026: FINAL: DC W vs RCB W at Vadodara on 05/02/26🏏

Delhi Capitals find themselves in a familiar yet uncomfortable position as they walk into their fourth consecutive Women's Premier League final. Consistency has never been their problem, but silverware has remained elusive, with heartbreak defining each of their previous three appearances at this stage. That pressure to end this streak will feel heavier considering opportunities like these don't come endlessly.

The route to a fourth final hasn't been easy for the Capitals. They lost three out of their first four games, suffered two identical shocking defeats at the hands of Sophie Devine right at the final hurdle, almost suffered another collapse in a must-win game before finally prevailing to make it to the Eliminator. In the knockout fixture, they managed to avenge those defeats to Giants with a near-flawless performance. But now, they will have to pull themselves up for the third time in five days.

Standing in their way are Royal Challengers Bengaluru, a side that knows what it takes to cross the final hurdle. Having already tasted championship success once (against the same opponent), RCB arrive with a calmer relationship with the occasion, even if the pressure of expectation is never far away given the fanbase this franchise carries. Despite the absence of star allrounder Ellyse Perry, RCB had a near-perfect campaign by winning their first five games. A minor blip was followed by a demolition job of the UP Warriorz to round off the league stage and as a result, confidence will be sky high in that dugout.

While RCB have had the easier route to the final, earning a direct qualification, history hasn't been kind to DC who were on the same boat in the last three editions - a streak that the three-time finalists hope will continue for a fourth straight season. When RCB's women lifted the title in 2024, they did so carrying the weight of a long-standing men's hoodoo - one that eventually ended the following year. Delhi Capitals, still waiting for a first title across both teams, will hope this final can be a similar turning point.

When: February 5, 2026 at 7:30 PM IST

Where: BCA Stadium, Kotambi, Vadodara

What to expect: The surfaces in Vadodara have generated middling scores more often than not, compared to Navi Mumbai. DC have had a much better record here this season compared to RCB and they would hope that gives them an advantage. The spinners will once again be expected to have a say here.

Team News

Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Pooja Vastrakar's long wait on the sidelines ended in RCB's final league fixture. She wasn't available to bowl and wasn't needed to bat. But RCB might still stick with her in the team as a pure finisher.

Probable XI: Grace Harris, Smriti Mandhana(c), Georgia Voll, Radha Yadav, Richa Ghosh(w), Nadine de Klerk, Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Sayali Satghare, Shreyanka Patil, Lauren Bell

Delhi Capitals

The Capitals would want to carry forward the momentum from the last game and are expected to retain their XI.

Probable XI: Lizelle Lee(w), Shafali Verma, Laura Wolvaardt, Jemimah Rodrigues(c), Marizanne Kapp, Chinelle Henry, Niki Prasad, Sneh Rana, Minnu Mani, Shree Charani, Nandani Sharma

In the spotlight

Smriti Mandhana has been the captain-in-waiting for at least three years. A WPL triumph in 2024 stirred conversations. A second triumph in 2026 could be the stepping stone for a change that could become inevitable post the T20 World Cup in June-July. At 29, Mandhana has shown she's ready. It's in India's best interests to ensure they don't lose out on her as captain in her prime.

Shafali Verma and Lizelle Lee up against Lauren Bell will be a contest to watch. Bell has been a perennial new-ball threat, with her late outswing especially. The 116 dots she has bowled are the most this season. The opening duo blasted 75 in the powerplay in chase of 169 in the Eliminator. Both come into the final high on confidence, with an approach that could potentially set up the game for DC.

Stats and trivia

• DC are 3-0 in matches where Shafali and Lee have put on a half-century stand
• All of DC's five wins this season have come in chases
• Nandni Sharma's 16 wickets are the most for an Indian bowler in a WPL season
• Grace Harris' strike rate of 181 is the highest among batters who've faced at least 50 balls this season
• RCB have the best death overs economy - they concede at 8.27. DC are second at 8.37

Did you know?

- Only once has a target above 160 been chased down in Vadodara so far.

- Grace Harris has a strike rate of 180.95 this season and Smriti Mandhana is just 10 short of 300 runs this campaign. However, Marizanne Kapp boasts a superior record against both - dismissing them a combined 13 times in T20s.

Pitch and conditions

The pitch will be the same as the one for the Eliminator and there was decent grass cover to bind it. Support staff of both sides had a long, hard look even as the captains did their pre-final photo shoot. There wasn't as much dew on Tuesday as there was when the tournament first moved to Vadodara in mid-January. That could keep spinners in play for a long time.

What they said:

"I'm really happy that everyone had that sort of a break and enjoyed it with each other and came back being very fresh. And again, looking forward to the finals because sometimes sitting in the hotel room, not doing much can cause a lot of overthinking. So I'm happy that we had that sort of a break and RCB took us to Goa." - RCB skipper Smriti Mandhanaon the break before the final

"This year was a lot more hard work. But I think the way the girls stuck together stood out for me. Especially when things don't go your way, it's very easy for a team to scatter. But I think this team actually came together and those losses actually helped us bond a lot more and be a lot more together and come out of it." - DC skipper Jemimah Rodrigues on her side's harder route to the final

Big Picture

The grand finale of WPL 2026 carries a distinct India-South Africa flavour, much like the World Cup finaltwo months ago. But the epicentre is Vadodara and not Navi Mumbai, the traditional home of Indian women's cricket. However, that won't make the occasion any less special.

The marquee names line up symmetrically. Shafali Verma and Jemimah Rodrigues on one side; Smriti Mandhana and Richa Ghosh on the other. Marizanne Kapp and Laura Wolvaardt on one side, Nadine de Klerk on the other.

Threading between these big stars are two high-impact overseas allrounders from West Indies and Australia, each having contributed to their team's journey to the final in their own way.

Chinelle Henry has been an unheralded star for Delhi Capitals (DC). Her three-forin the Eliminator may have gone unnoticed in the larger scheme of things, but it was as important as Shafali and Lizelle Lee's opening stand or Rodrigues' cameo. For Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Grace Harris has filled an even larger void. In Ellyse Perry's absence, she has become the powerplay enforcer, dominating attacks and setting up games for the likes of Ghosh and de Klerk to finish.

The prospect of these two sides pitted against each other in the final seemed an unlikely prospect even during the auction. Mumbai Indians appeared the obvious frontrunners, having retained the core that delivered two titles in three seasons.

RCB, meanwhile, were without Perry, and when they opted to replace her with an uncapped Indian fast bowler in Sayali Satghare, fully aware that Pooja Vastrakar would be unavailable for much of the season, the knives were out. Satghare has since become a key strand in RCB's seam attack.

Thursday's final also brings a contrast to their journeys to the final. RCB took the route DC did for three seasons running - winning six out of their eight games to top the group. DC have scraped through a sequence of must-win games and will now play their third knockout in five days.

DC are chasing that elusive fourth attempt at glory to help bring silverware to a franchise that is yet to win a major; RCB is looking at making winning titles a habit, attempting a hat-trick of wins (IPL included).

In each of the three previous finals, the winner of the Eliminator has gone on to win the title. Will Thursday be any different?

This will be the second time the RCB and DC cricket teams meet in a WPL final. The first came in 2024, when RCB clinched their maiden title with an eight-wicket win. Delhi, meanwhile, have reached all four finals but are still chasing their first WPL title.

RCB sealed a direct berth in this year’s final after topping the league stage with 12 points from six wins. They head into the WPL 2026 final on the back of a convincing eight-wicket league stage victory over the UP Warriorz.

Smriti Mandhana has led RCB from the front this season, scoring 290 runs in eight matches at an average of 48.33. Nadine de Klerk has been their standout bowler, picking 15 wickets at an impressive average of 13.53 and an economy of 7.25.

DC finished third in the table and booked their spot in the final with a seven-wicket win over the Gujarat Giants in the Eliminator. Jemimah Rodrigues was named the Player of the Match in the Eliminator for her rapid 23-ball 41.

Lizelle Lee is Delhi Capitals’ leading scorer with 283 runs at an average of 31.44 and a strike rate of 141.50 this season. She is fourth behind RCB’s Smriti Mandhana in the Orange Cap 2026 race.

DC’s bowling attack will be led by Nandini Sharma. She is second in the race for Purple Cap 2026 with 16 wickets - one behind Gujarat Giants’ Sophie Devine.

Nandini Sharma’s 16 scalps for DC this season is the most by an Indian in a single edition of the WPL.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Delhi Capitals WPL head-to-head

Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Delhi Capitals have met nine times in the Women’s Premier League, with DC leading with six wins. RCB have managed three wins but that includes the one that matters the most - the WPL 2024 final.

Both teams emerged victorious once each in two of the league stage encounters between the sides this season.