RCB captain Smriti Mandhana and teammate Richa Ghosh shake hands with UP Warriorz players (PTI Photo) Grace Harris produced a match-winning all-round performance on Thursday to help Royal Challengers Bengaluru finish top of the table and book a direct entry into the finals of the Women’s Premier League 2026. While RCB have secured their place, the battle for the remaining two play-off spots remains open, with four teams still in contention with just two league matches remaining. This is how the qualifying picture is formed for each side heading into the final stretch. Gujarat Giants Gujarat Giants climbed to the second spot after beating Delhi Capitals by three runs, taking their tally to eight points from seven matches. Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals have six points each, making the contest extremely close.
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The easiest route for Gujarat is a win over Mumbai. A win by any margin would move them to 10 points and secure qualification. They could also sneak in a defeat if UP Warriors manage to beat Delhi Capitals. However, the Giants remain vulnerable due to a low net rate of minus .271. A close loss to Mumbai could put them in jeopardy. For example, if Gujarat lost by just one run, Delhi would only need to beat UP Warriorz by any margin to go over them on net and qualify assuming a first innings score of 160. Bombay Indians Defending champions Mumbai Indians are still well placed, largely because they boast the highest net run rate among the four teams fighting for qualification. They also have a dominant 8-0 head-to-head record against Gujarat Giants. A win over Gujarat would lift Mumbai to eight points and should be enough to qualify for the playoffs. If Mumbai lose, their fate would then depend on the final league match between Delhi and UP Warriorz. In a scenario where Mumbai is losing heavily, margins are crucial. If they go down by 50 runs, Delhi would have to lose to the UP Warriorz by seven runs or more to stay below Mumbai on a clean sheet. Apart from that, UP Warriorz would also have to avoid a massive win of over 116 runs against Delhi, assuming a first innings score of 160. Capital Delhi After a slow start, Delhi Capitals revived their campaign with back-to-back wins over Mumbai and RCB, but their loss to Gujarat left them with very little margin for error. Delhi will qualify for the eliminator simply by beating UP Warriorz in the last league match, irrespective of the result between Mumbai and Gujarat. However, defeat could complicate the situation. If Delhi lose to UP Warriorz and Gujarat beat Mumbai, there will be a three-way tie on six points between Delhi, Mumbai and UP Warriorz, with net run rate deciding qualification. For example, if Gujarat beat Mumbai by 50 runs, Delhi would have to make sure they don’t lose to UP Warriorz by more than six runs to stay ahead of Mumbai in net run rate, assuming the first innings score is 160. Delhi have a slight advantage playing the last league game and know exactly what is needed. UP Warriorz UP Warriorz are hanging by a thread after defeating RCB. They sit at the bottom of the table with four points and the worst net pace of minus 1.146, but mathematically they are still in the race. Their only route to qualification is highly unlikely. UP Warriorz need to beat Delhi Capitals by a massive margin in the final match and hope that Gujarat beat Mumbai by a similar margin the day before. Only then could the UP Warriorz climb over both Mumbai and Delhi on pure run-rate. For example, if Gujarat beat Mumbai by 50 runs, the UP Warriorz would have to beat Delhi by at least 117 runs to overtake both teams and book a place in the eliminator on February 3, provided the first innings score is 160.
