WPL 2026: Why did Gautami Naik miss RCB vs UPW clash?

Gautami Naik missed out from team’s playing XI for RCB vs UPW clash is BCA Stadium in Vadodara.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Women are clashing against UP Warriorz Women in the 18th match of Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026. While RCB Women have qualified for the playoffs, UPW are aiming for a spot in the top three of the points table.

BCA Stadium in Vadodara is the venue of the RCBW vs UPW clash. RCB captain Smriti Mandhana won the toss and opted to field first in the match. They have won five matches and have lost two out of seven., which means that the clash against UPW is their last game of the league stage.

On the other hand, Meg Lanning-led UPW languish at the last spot in the points table with just two wins and four defeats out of six matches. After the clash against RCB Women, they will play their last league match against Delhi Capitals (DC) Women.

RCB vs UPW: Why is Gautami Naik absent from RCB’s playing XI against UPW?

At the toss, RCB captain Mandhana revealed that they have made just one change to their playing XI. Gautami Naik was dropped for the match and replaced by Pooja Vastrakar.

Speaking about playing XI, Mandhana stated: “One change – Pooja Vastrakar comes back in place of Gautami Naik, she had a one-year off, looking forward to her comeback. She’s good to bat, bowling will take some time, we’ll give her one match and then have a look at how things progresses.”

While shedding light on her decision to field first, she added, “We will field first today. Good wicket to bat on, already played against Mumbai Indians, need to bowl in good areas. One thing I’ve mentioned is to think tactically, not emotionally. We'[ve done a lot of things right to win the first 5, just keep things simple, someone else might play better cricket, just keep it simple.”

Naik has played six games in WPL 2026 so far, scoring 86 runs in four innings at an average of 21.50 and a strike rate of 122.85. She also scored a stunning knock of 73 runs against Gujarat Giants (GT), but got out for single digits in the other three innings.

RCB vs UPW clash: Playing XI of both teams

Royal Challengers Bengaluru Women’s Playing XI: Grace Harris, Smriti Mandhana (c), Georgia Voll, Radha Yadav, Richa Ghosh(w), Nadine de Klerk, Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Sayali Satghare, Shreyanka Patil, Lauren Bell.

UP Warriorz Women’s Playing XI: Meg Lanning (c), Simran Shaikh, Amy Jones(w), Harleen Deol, Chloe Tryon, Deepti Sharma, Shweta Sehrawat, Sophie Ecclestone, Asha Sobhana Joy, Shikha Pandey, Kranti Gaud.

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