Bell and Harris: The exes who hurt UP Warriorz

Bell and Harris: The exes who hurt UP Warriorz

Lauren Bell spent two seasons on the bench at UP Warriorz before being released ahead of the third season. She went unsold initially but was later signed by RCB for INR 90 lakh in the mega-auction ahead of WPL 2026, where she has become a key part of their bowling attack.

Bell's new-ball control has been central to RCB's bowling dominance, repeatedly stifling UP Warriorz in the PowerPlay. In her first match against her former team, she bowled a tight spell of 4-0-16-1 with 15 dot balls. In the recent match in Vadodara, she conceded only 21 runs in four overs, delivering 14 dots. Her accuracy tied down batters like Meg Lanning and Deepti Sharma early on.

RCB bowling coach Anya Shrubsole highlighted Bell's impact: "Even if she's not picking up wickets, she's keeping things really tight from her end. She and the other PowerPlay bowlers have been a huge part of why we're in this position."

Bell leads the season in dot balls with 116 out of 192 deliveries, a dot-ball percentage of 60.4%—the highest among bowlers with at least five PowerPlay overs. Her economy rate of 5.62 is second only to Marizanne Kapp's 5.57.

Shrubsole noted Bell's development, adding outswingers to her natural inswing, and revealed she was a priority signing for RCB: "We were clear that we really wanted a strong PowerPlay bowler. Bell was the one we ideally wanted. Luckily her name came up first at the auction, and she's shown why we were so keen to have her."

While UP Warriorz managed to handle Bell's threat, their middle-order collapsed against the part-time off-spin of Grace Harris—another former UPW player. Bowling for the first time this WPL, Harris removed Harleen Deol and Chloe Tryon in successive overs, reducing UPW from 74/0 to 103/4.

Shrubsole credited captain Smriti Mandhana's instinct for introducing Harris: "Smriti had a bit of instinct to try it today, and Grace is never the one to say no. She picked up two key wickets, which gave her confidence going into her batting."

Harris then dominated with the bat, smashing 75 off 37 balls in a 108-run opening stand with Mandhana, leading RCB to a comprehensive victory. This was her second half-century against her former team this season, following an 85 off 40 balls in the reverse fixture.

The win secured RCB a direct spot in the WPL 2026 final, while UP Warriorz were left to reflect on how former players came back to haunt them.