The Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 final is set to be held in Vadodara, with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) taking on Delhi Capitals (DC). In a fascinating subplot, both captains, Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues, are best friends off the field and will face each other as opposing leaders in the grand finale for the second time in three seasons.

Rodrigues has had a demanding schedule, playing three matches in five days as DC took the longer route to the final. However, amid the hectic run of games, she revealed that she chose to simply let go, rediscovering her fluency and freeing her mind from the pressures of performance and leadership.

"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 entered the final after finishing at the top of the points table and have enjoyed an extended break ahead of the summit clash. Most of the players used the downtime to head to the beaches, dance, and soak up the sun, a reset that the captain fully embraced and enjoyed.

"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 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. And I'm really happy that everyone had that sort of a break and enjoyed it with each other and came back being very fresh. And again, looking forward to the finals because sometimes sitting in the hotel room, not doing much can cause a lot of overthinking. So I'm happy that we had that sort of a break and RCB took us to Goa,” she added.

This season is very difficult from the previous ones: Rodrigues

For Rodrigues, the character of the DC side truly came to the fore when they were pushed into a corner, with each of their final two group-stage fixtures turning into must-win encounters.

"Yeah, it does feel different to the other years. This year was a lot more hard work. But I think the way the girls stuck together stood out for me. Especially when things don't go your way, it's very easy for a team to scatter,” said Rodrigues.

"But I think this team actually came together and those losses actually helped us bond a lot more and be a lot more together and come out of it. And I'm very proud of the character the girls have shown to pick themselves up, to come out and play the cricket that we are playing. I think hats off to the entire Delhi Capitals team and especially our support staff to make that environment for us,” she added.

Rangarajan is the most composed coach: Mandhana

Mandhana offered a glowing endorsement of RCB’s new head coach, Malolan Rangarajan, who took over from Luke Williams, the title-winning coach of 2024. He has previously worked within the women’s set-up as head of scouting and brings a ringside view of how the RCB women’s team has operated since its inception.

"I've known Malo for the last three years. In the first season, of course, we didn't have a lot of time to talk to each other, but since the second season, the auction planning, Malo's always involved. He was the assistant coach for us and I feel he's extremely calm and composed. That's one thing which I felt… When we were 40 for 4, he was still sitting the same way in the dressing room,” said Mandhana.

“We were 180 for 2, he's still sitting the same way, talking the same way. And whenever you go to him as well, I feel not only me, but a lot of girls have enjoyed working with him and really taken the calmness he brings to the team. And I feel people who've come in, in terms of Indians, need a lot of calmness and I feel Malo has helped them a lot. So, again, my bond with him is... I feel we just don't need to talk also, we just know each other now well,” she added.

I've grown the most in the past few months: Rodrigues

Rodrigues underlined that this phase has been one of significant growth, detailing how she navigated personal challenges in the period between the World Cup triumph and the WPL.

"I think it's the last, I think, 3-4 months, I've grown the most, I think. Especially the last one month as a captain. But I think the best part about captaincy was I thought less about myself and more about the team. And that took a lot of pressure off me also. So I think that just gave me that space where I don't overthink my game. I just look out for others, look out how the team can do better, what works, what doesn't work, have a lot more conversations in practice with our players,” said Rodrigues.

“And I think that really helped me. And yeah, apart from that, I think all I had to keep doing was just keeping things simple. So I think for me, it's the same thing as what I'm going to do tomorrow. Just to pull back, just stay calm, just do what comes to you very instinctively because the preparation has been done. All the plans are in place. Everything is done. Now just got to go out there and just react to whatever comes as a captain and as a batter,” she concluded.