wpl rcb first team to q: RCB’s dominance under the captaincy of Smriti Mandhana, first entry in playoffs
New Delhi. The Women’s Premier League 2026 is now rapidly moving towards its last and most exciting phase. As the tournament is progressing, the excitement of the matches is reaching its peak. The biggest and most powerful story of this season has emerged as Smriti Mandhana-led Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), which has achieved such a winning streak that other teams just kept watching its performance. By winning five consecutive matches, RCB not only became the first team to reach the playoffs, but has also established itself as the strongest contender for the title.
Looking at the way RCB is playing this season, it can be clearly said that the team is not limited to just the playoffs. Smriti Mandhana’s calm but aggressive captaincy, trust in the players and right decisions at the right time have emerged as the biggest strengths of RCB. The race for Purple Cap and Orange Cap has become very interesting.
orange cap race
The battle for the Orange Cap among the batsmen is also becoming very exciting. In the current season, Phoebe Litchfield, playing for UP Warriors, has won the Orange Cap by scoring the most runs. Lichfield has scored 211 runs in 5 innings of 5 matches played so far and is looking in excellent form, while Mumbai Indians captain Harmanpreet Kaur remains at the second position with 199 runs and is giving tough competition to Lichfield in the race for the Orange Cap.
purple cap rust
Talking about bowlers, the race for the Purple Cap is at the most exciting stage at the moment. There is a fierce competition between Nadine de Klerk and Amelia Kerr for the Purple Cap. Both the bowlers have taken 10-10 wickets so far and jointly top the Purple Cap list. At the same time, RCB’s fast bowler Lauren Bell is also in great form and remains at the second position with 9 wickets.
RCB’s blast with 5 consecutive wins
Royal Challengers Bangalore have created history by becoming the first team to win five consecutive matches in a single season of WPL. In the 12th league match of the tournament played on Monday, RCB defeated Gujarat Giants by a huge margin of 61 runs and secured the playoff ticket. Under the captaincy of Smriti Mandhana, RCB has registered a spectacular victory in all the five matches played so far. In the first match, the team defeated Mumbai Indians by 3 wickets, then UP Warriors by 9 wickets, Gujarat Giants by 32 runs, Delhi Capitals by 8 wickets, and then Gujarat Giants by 61 runs. In these wins, RCB’s performance looked balanced and aggressive in every department, be it the top order batting, the stability of the middle order or the disciplined performance of the bowlers.
condition of other teams
With five consecutive wins, RCB occupies the top position in the points table and has made it to the playoffs. After that, the teams of Mumbai Indians, UP Warriors and Gujarat Giants are at second, third and fourth position respectively with 2-2 wins. At the same time, the Delhi Capitals team has been seen struggling so far this season and is at the last position in the points table with only one win. Mumbai, UP and Gujarat have 4 points each, while Delhi has only 2 points in its account. The upcoming matches can make the playoff race even more interesting for these teams.
Now it will be interesting to see whether RCB is able to maintain this momentum and win the WPL title for the first time or whether any other team is successful in stopping its victory chariot.
