Mumbai Indians take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the inaugural match of WPL 2026. Both squads feature revised rosters;
Mumbai Indians led by Harmanpreet Kaur have an improved batting lineup featuring New Zealander Amelia Kerr and Australia’s Hayley Matthews who should make for a powerful combination in attack. Check out the full Royal Challengers Bengaluru Vs Mumbai Indians Match Scorecard to see detailed results, top performances, and key moments from this exciting opener.
| Date | Match / Tournament | RCB Women | MI Women | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 09 Jan 2026 | WPL 2026 – 1st Match | 157/7 (20 ov) | 154/6 (20 ov) | RCB won by 3 wickets (ESPN) |
| 11 Mar 2025 | WPL 2025 – Match 20 | 199/3 (20 ov) | 188/9 (20 ov) | RCB won by 11 runs (ESPN) |
| 21 Feb 2025 | WPL 2025 – Match 7 | 167/7 (20 ov) | 170/6 (19.5 ov) | MI won by 4 wickets (ESPN) |
| 15 Mar 2024 | WPL 2024 – Match | 115/3 (20 ov) | 113 all‑out (19 ov) | RCB won by 7 wickets (myKhel) |
| 02 Mar 2024 | WPL 2024 – Match | 131/6 (20 ov) | 133/3 (15.1 ov) | MI won by 7 wickets (myKhel) |
Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Royal Challengers Bangalore or RCB is an Indian Premier League cricket franchise team based out of Bengaluru, Karnataka that has become the most successful side ever in competition history.
Established by United Spirits – a subsidiary of Diageo – and named for one of their liquor brands, this team was led by Virat Kohli who also captains India national cricket team. Their home match venue is M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
After suffering an abject first season, Royal Challengers Bangalore made a strong comeback in the second edition of this tournament.
Under Anil Kumble’s guidance they qualified for the semi-finals under Anil Kumble and came close to beating Mumbai Indians but ultimately fell short against them. One outstanding performance by Brendon McCullum against Deccan Chargers stands out among many others.
After their dismal fifth place finish in IPL 2010, RCB slumped into fifth, winning only five of 14 matches and only 5 wins overall in 2011.
Their fortunes improved drastically the following season under Virat Kohli as captain; winning their inaugural IPL trophy thanks to an unbelievable 973 run season from him that included four hundreds!
Though they achieved early success, RCB struggled to replicate it over the next several seasons and finished with wooden spoon finishes on multiple occasions.
For 2023 season RCB hired Faf du Plessis as new captain and made it to playoffs before losing against Rajasthan Royals in 2nd Qualifier.
MI W vs RCB W
On January 9, the Women’s Premier League will begin for its fourth edition with reigning champions Mumbai Indians taking on Royal Challengers Bengaluru for its season opening matchup at Dr DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai.
Both squads boast strong international rosters that hope to get off to an excellent start against each other and claim all three points available!
RCB have won all three previous encounters between these teams, and hope to remain the undisputed champions in this rivalry.
As this will be their first WPL meeting on neutral ground – both possessing powerful offensive arsenals – it should prove an exciting encounter!
As Royal Challengers Bangalore look to exact revenge against arch rivals Royal County Cricket Club (RCB), expect an exciting encounter.
Their previous meeting here saw RCB triumph by five wickets to claim victory in an eliminator game and secure their place in the final. Grace Harris and Smriti Mandhana shared an opening stand of 88 runs before Smriti succumbed to brilliant bowling from Nicola Carey and fall victim.
Mandhana will look to make amends this time around, with Mithali Raj’s talent lending her an extra edge in WPL – not least her offspin which will add another element to RCB’s attack.
Nicola Carey has put her side into an advantageous position and dismissed Arundhati Reddy after bowling an effective over. Carey delivered a low full toss which Reddy completely missed; Reddy went for review but the umpire stood firm and dismissed Reddy LBW.
Reddy’s dismissal proved fatal for RCB’s run chase, forcing them to settle for an below-par total of 132 for 5 in 20 overs. To add insult to injury, Prema Rawat was run out for only three runs the very next over, setting the tone for what would ensue in her innings.
Harmanpreet Kaur was caught by Dhemalatha at midwicket off Radha Yadav and MI’s hopes were further dimmed when Sajana Gandhi used long levers and brute force to produce some big hits between deep midwicket and long-on.
Unfortunately for MI though, she was taken by Sayali Satghare but her contribution of 85 was key to their late surge, along with support from Nicola Carey who exuded timing with glorious agricultural approaches – ultimately it wasn’t enough against defending champions MI.
MI vs RCB
After an unforgettable opening ceremony, Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru take to the field in what promises to be an exciting WPL 2026 opener at Navi Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium. Expect high-octane cricket at this epic contest!
Grace Harris and Smriti Mandhana began well for their hosts, scoring 11 runs off of the first over with Grace scoring 3 and Smriti scoring 4.
However, momentum quickly faded when Nat Sciver-Brunt removed Mandhana due to miscued lofted shot landing safely into Shabnim Ismail’s safe hands at long-on; prompting an abrupt shift in power dynamics.
RCB raced to 40 without loss in three overs without suffering a wicket, only to then succumb to both Hemalatha (caught at short third man by Amanjot Singh off a straight delivery from Amanjot) and Kerr’s dismissal after her attempt at breaking free is defeated by movement.
As MI continue their attack, Lauren Bell continues to cause Amelia Kerr problems by probing overs and forcing the batter outside off. Finally, Bell closes out this over with a controlled spell conceding only four runs off 15 balls as MI close the chase down further.
Nadine de Klerk delivered another blow for Royal Challengers Bangalore when she removed Harmanpreet Kaur. Kaur had looked in good form with two boundaries and one over long-on before an off-break from de Klerk induced an edge, which Richa Ghosh quickly executed at midwicket.
De Klerk was instrumental to RCB’s pursuit of their target, creating a late-order partnership with Arundhati Reddy to bring them within striking distance of reaching it. They shared an outstanding 52-run stand off just 23 balls with de Klerk contributing sixes and fours to her efforts.
However, the game was much tighter than expected as Raheena Gandhi and Nicola Carey both hit quickfire boundaries to help Michigan reach victory with ease. A late surge from Sajeevan Sajana helped push them onto 149/4 in 19 overs – with both Carey and Nicola finding gaps frequently throughout.
Mumbai Indians will hope for another win when they face Delhi Daredevils on Wednesday, but success depends on their batting unit if they want to become the first team ever to defend their WPL crown.
Mumbai have an excellent squad, including batsmen who can step up when needed as well as an impressive pace bowling unit; all we need now is to see whether they can maintain this level of consistency throughout the tournament – make sure you stay tuned to Sportstar to keep up with all of this action live and subscribe now!
