The WPL 2026 championship match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Capitals at Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara will benefit from the one-week Goa break which Smriti Mandhana believes will help her team members regain their energy.
RCB last played on January 29 and spent the break enjoying Goa’s beaches. Players would choose their own ways to relax as some players held parties while others went sunbathing and others played golf while Shreyanka Patil and Radha Yadav chose to dance. Along with her team Mandhana observed everything together with the two replacement players who had come to the team at the time of Ellyse Perry’s departure.
The 29-year-old Mandhana explained that after playing back-to-back games, the team needed the break to refresh and recharge, helping them regain energy and focus ahead of a high-pressure final
The situation required my full attention. Six days of thinking about cricket, who’s going to come, what’s going to happen and all of that. The first two or three days away from the team worked better for us. The team needed that break after their first three days which included multiple matches according to Mandhana who spoke to media before the championship match.
‘RCB PRACTISING EXTREMELY HARD’
Mandhana, who has scored 290 runs from eight matches, said that after relaxing in Goa, RCB have trained hard to prepare for the final. The team needed cricket activities for one week instead of staying in their hotel rooms.
The team considers their practice efforts on February 2nd 3rd and 4th as their most vital training method. The break which everybody experienced with each other led to complete freshness when they returned to work.
The finals create an exciting prospect for me because hotel room confinement leads to excessive overthinking. Mandhana expressed her satisfaction with the break while RCB transported their team to Goa.
The WPL championship remains beyond reach for any team which finishes first in the league standings. The Capitals finished as league champions for three consecutive seasons from 2023 to 2025 but lost the championship after losing one match to RCB and two matches to the Mumbai Indians who have won the title twice.
RCB achieved their playoff qualification after winning their opening five matches and secured first place in the standings by defeating UP Warriorz during their last regular season match.