RCB Opt to Bowl Against DC in WPL 2026 Final; Teams Unchanged

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) captain Smriti Mandhana won the toss and elected to bowl first against Delhi Capitals (DC) in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 final at Vadodara on Sunday. Both teams went in unchanged for the title clash.

Mandhana said the decision was influenced by the tournament trend favouring teams chasing. Including the final, only once in 22 matches this season has the toss-winning side opted to bat first. DC skipper Jemimah Rodrigues admitted she would have preferred to bowl as well, but remarked that it was “better to lose the toss in such games”.

The final is being played on the same surface that hosted the Eliminator, where DC chased down Gujarat Giants’ total of 169 with 26 balls to spare. During the pitch report, former New Zealand batter Katey Martin said the wicket looked good for batting but would also offer “enough in it” for the bowlers, particularly the spinners.

RCB and DC last met in a WPL final in 2024, when DC chose to bat first and were restricted to 113, a target RCB chased down with three balls remaining. RCB are aiming for their second WPL title, while DC are hoping to finally lift the trophy in their fourth consecutive final appearance.

Despite RCB’s recent success, DC hold the overall head-to-head advantage, having won six of the nine encounters between the two sides.

Teams

Royal Challengers Bengaluru:
Smriti Mandhana (capt), Grace Harris, Georgia Voll, Richa Ghosh (wk), Radha Yadav, Nadine de Klerk, Pooja Vastrakar, Shreyanka Patil, Sayali Satghare, Arundhati Reddy, Lauren Bell.

Delhi Capitals:
Shafali Verma, Lizelle Lee (wk), Laura Wolvaardt, Jemimah Rodrigues (capt), Marizanne Kapp, Chinelle Henry, Niki Prasad, Sneh Rana, Minnu Mani, Nandani Sharma, N Shree Charani.