The Women’s Premier League 2026 final will be played in Vadodara. Royal Challengers Bengaluru will face Delhi Capitals in the big match. The final brings a special storyline with it. RCB captain Smriti Mandhana and DC captain Jemimah Rodrigues are close friends off the field.
Now, they will lead opposite teams in a WPL final for the second time in three seasons. Both teams will enter the match with confidence but through very different journeys. Delhi Capitals had a tough road to the final. They played three matches in five days. Rodrigues admitted the busy schedule tested her mentally and physically. She said letting go helped her rediscover her rhythm.
“I think I was doing one thing; I was trying way too hard. And the last two games, I just let go. I let go, backed myself, didn’t even go and practice because I was practicing so hard, trying to hit every ball perfectly and get everything right,” said Rodrigues as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
“Then I was like, you know what? I remember one of the interviews I heard. It’s like the butterfly, the more desperate you are, the further it goes away. But the more you just let go, it comes and sits on your shoulder. And that’s what I did. And I’m happy it’s coming. It’s coming off well,” she added.
RCB fresh and relaxed before the final
RCB reached the final after finishing top of the table. They also enjoyed a longer break before the final. Mandhana said the team used the time wisely to relax and reset.
“Yeah, it was very important. Six days of thinking about cricket, who’s going to come, what’s going to happen and all of that. It’s better that we went off for the first two or three days. It was a good break for all of us because, of course, there were a lot of back-to-back games in the first three days,” said Smriti Mandhana.
“But again, coming back on [February] 2nd, 3rd and 4th, coming back practicing extremely hard, that’s something which has been the most important part for this team,” she added.
Rodrigues also praised her DC teammates for showing character in tough moments. “Yeah, it does feel different to the other years. This year was a lot more hard work,” she said. With friendship on pause, both captains now focus on lifting the WPL 2026 trophy.
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