The top three teams are in! The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), who returned to winning ways after two consecutive losses to the Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians, punched their ticket to the final with a win over the UP Warriorz.
The Gujarat Giants stormed into second place with a win over Mumbai in their last group match. They will meet the Capitals in the Eliminator. Like the Giants, the Capitals waited until their final group-stage match before they secured qualification for the playoffs.
Match of the Week: Nothing beats contests that go to the final ball for the Match of the Week gong. Niki Prasad almost single-handedly won the match for the Capitals when they faced the Giants. All she needed was her shot to travel a metre to the left or right of the fielder at long on. Instead, she hit the ball straight to the fielder, and with that, the Capitals' chase collapsed. Matches rarely get as close as that. It was final-over heartbreak for the Capitals, wild elation for the Giants, and great entertainment for the neutrals.
Batter: Nat Sciver-Brunt delivered a performance that will live forever in WPL lore. The 33-year-old Mumbai star struck 16 fours and a single six to register the first century in WPL history. Mumbai was on 16 for one after 2.2 overs when she walked out to bat. The England Women's star took control of the match and hit an unbeaten 57-ball 100 to lift Mumbai to 199 for four. It was also a match-winning knock.
Bowler: South Africa Women’s star Nadine de Klerk produced one of her best performances with the ball at the WPL. Her figures of 4-22 in RCB’s eight-wicket win over the Warriorz tell half the story. The medium-pacer changed the course of the contest when she struck twice in a single over to stop the Warriorz's progress.
First, she broke Meg Lanning and Deepti Sharma’s burgeoning 74-run opening stand, and then strengthened RCB’s position in the match four balls later when she accounted for Amy Jones. She then put her death bowling skills on display in the final over and was rewarded with two more wickets.
Performance: Sophie Devine helped the Giants pull off a final over heist against the Capitals with her excellent death bowling skills. The Capitals needed nine runs from six balls. The Giants, who had not kept up with the times, had one extra fielder in the ring as punishment.
That didn’t matter to Devine, who conceded a mere six runs. Most importantly, she took two wickets, one of which was the dismissal of Niki Prasad, who was threatening to win the match for the Capitals all by herself.
Overseas: Marizanne Kapp produced a Player-of-the-Match performance when the Capitals defeated the Warriorz. Sophie Devine finished the week with six wickets for 60 runs in two matches and is the current Purple Cap holder. Nadine de Klerk, who is two wickets behind Devine also had a brilliant week. However, none had as great a week as Nat Sciver-Brunt. Her history-making unbeaten century is good enough to make her the best overseas player this week.
Talking Point: This is the first time in WPL history that Mumbai has failed to make it past the group stages. It is a big deal because it raises the question: Is this the end of Mumbai’s dominance?
The Harmanpreet Kaur-captained side lifted the title in 2023 and 2025, and lost to eventual winner, RCB, in the playoffs in 2024. This time around, Mumbai showed flashes of brilliance in patches but didn’t perform consistently enough to challenge for the top three.
Look out for: Is this the Giants’ season? The Ashleigh Gardner-captained side appear to be peaking at the right time. They won their first two games and then went on a three-match losing streak, before bouncing back with a three-match unbeaten run that ushered them into the playoffs.
This is also their second appearance in the knockouts in two consecutive years. They will go up against the Capitals, a side that they have defeated twice this season. Can they make it three out of three to book their ticket to the final? The odds are on their side.