In a season that began with high expectations and an overhaul of the team, UP Warriors Find yourself on the verge of a disappointing departure 2026 Women’s Premier League (WPL). The 18th match of the tournament held at Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara on Thursday came as a serious confirmation of their struggle. facing clinical Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) The women’s team, the Warriors, suffered a crushing defeat by eight wickets, a result that sealed RCB’s direct ticket to the final, while UPW finished bottom of the table.
UP Warriors’ disappointing performance continues against RCB in WPL 2026
The Vadodara match was a microcosm of the Warriors’ entire campaign. Despite a promising start where the captain meg lanning (41) and Deepti Sharma (55) put on an opening partnership of 74 – their first 50-plus partnership of the season – as the team collapsed from a position of strength. After Lanning’s dismissal Nadine de KlerkThe middle order collapsed, with wickets falling quickly, which has been a recurring nightmare for the franchise this year. Eventually they reached a low of 143/8.
The defense was equally delicate. of rcb grace harrisPlaying with a point to prove against his former teammates, he demolished the UPW attack with a blistering 75 off 37 balls. Together Smriti MandhanaOn the basis of an unbeaten inning of 54 runs, RCB achieved the target in just 13.1 overs. The “silent non-celebration” at the fall of Harris’ wicket at the end of the game speaks volumes; The damage was already done, and the Warriors knew their playoff dreams were mathematically fading into oblivion.
Also read: RCB books final spot of WPL 2026: Playoff qualification scenario for DC, MI, GG and UPW
Meg Lanning reveals key factors behind UP Warriors’ early exit from WPL 2026
After the match, a calm but clearly disappointed Lanning spoke candidly about the factors that derailed his season. Due to the lack of consistency, Lanning said that while the team showed “glimpse of talent“They failed to maintain the momentum.”Every time we gained some momentum in batting and built a partnership, we lost it and then lost many wickets as well.Lanning commented in the post-match press conference. The inability to “finish” the game proved fatal in a tournament where the margin for error is very slim.
Lanning also addressed the elephant in the room: the wholesale restructuring of the squad. After retaining only the uncapped batter Shweta SehrawatFranchise hits reset button in mega auction and brings in Lanning as captain Abhishek Nair As a full-time head coach for the first time. While Lanning refused to use the overhaul as an excuse, he acknowledged the difficulty of creating rapport in a short time frame.
he adds,”It’s always a challenge for every team coming together after the mega auction… you have to try to bring it together as much as possible“
Ultimately, the Warriors’ 2026 run — marked by five losses in seven games — highlights the growing pains of a new unit. Despite world class spin Sophie Ecclestone And Deepti’s lack of individual talent, combined killer instinct, left him behind the league’s pace-setters.
This article was first published here WomenCricket.comA Cricket Times Company.
