In a season that started with optimism and a major team shake-up, UP Warriorz are on the brink of an early exit from the 2026 Women’s Premier League (WPL). The 18th match, held at Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara on Thursday, highlighted their troubles. The Warriorz faced a strong Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) Women team and suffered a heavy eight-wicket loss, which secured RCB’s place in the finals while leaving UPW at the bottom of the table.
UP Warriorz’s struggles continue against RCB in WPL 2026
The match in Vadodara reflected the Warriorz’s overall performance this season. Although captain Meg Lanning (41) and Deepti Sharma (55) made a solid 74-run opening partnership—their first 50-plus stand of the season—the team fell apart after Lanning was dismissed by Nadine de Klerk. The middle order struggled, losing wickets quickly, a recurring issue this year. They ended up with a disappointing score of 143/8.
The defense was also weak. RCB’s Grace Harris showed her former team what they were missing by scoring a rapid 75 off 37 balls. Alongside Smriti Mandhana’s unbeaten 54, RCB chased down the target in just 13.1 overs. The lack of celebration after Harris’s wicket symbolized the team’s awareness that their hopes for the playoffs were quickly fading.
Meg Lanning discusses reasons behind UP Warriorz’s early exit in WPL 2026
After the match, Lanning expressed her disappointment and shared what went wrong this season. She mentioned that consistency was a major issue, stating the team had “flashes of brilliance,” but could not maintain momentum. “Every time we’ve got some momentum with the bat and built a partnership, we’ve sort of lost that and then lost some wickets in clumps,” she noted in the press conference. This inability to close out games was detrimental in such a competitive tournament.
Lanning also talked about the significant changes to the squad. With only uncapped batter Shweta Sehrawat retained, the franchise revamped the team at the mega auction and brought Lanning in as captain and Abhishek Nayar as head coach. While she didn’t use the changes as an excuse, she acknowledged the challenge of creating team chemistry in a short period.
She added, “It’s always a challenge for every team coming together after a mega auction… you need to try and put it together as best you can.”
This disappointing season for the Warriorz, marked by five losses in seven games, underscores the challenges faced by a new team. Despite the exceptional skills of Sophie Ecclestone and indeed performances from Deepti, the team’s lack of a decisive edge resulted in their struggles against stronger opponents.