Published: March 7, 2025
Venue: Lucknow
Facing a potential elimination from the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2025, UP Warriorz (UPW) will look to strengthen their fragile middle order and end their challenging campaign on a positive note against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Saturday in Lucknow.
UP Warriorz Struggling to Find Collective Rhythm
UP Warriorz have endured a disappointing campaign characterized by inconsistent performances and lost opportunities. Currently sitting at the bottom of the WPL standings with only four points from seven matches, their playoff hopes remain alive only mathematically.
Despite standout individual performances from players such as Grace Harris and Georgia Voll, UP Warriorz have consistently struggled to perform as a cohesive unit. Frequent changes at the top order—especially experimenting with various overseas batters—have added to their batting instability. Indian batter Kiran Navgire has been a regular at the top with varied success, but the lack of support from the middle-order batters has severely affected their ability to chase or set competitive totals.
Skipper Deepti Sharma openly expressed concern about her team’s batting, particularly highlighting persistent middle-order troubles.
She emphasized the need for improved batting performances as they aim to end the season positively.
RCB Looking for Redemption After Super Over Heartbreak
Royal Challengers Bangalore, the defending champions, also find themselves under significant pressure. With only four points from six matches, RCB has suffered four consecutive losses, pushing them to fourth place in the standings. The recent Super Over defeat against UP Warriorz is still fresh in their minds, adding extra motivation to avenge their loss.
Captain Smriti Mandhana and her team are hoping that a change of venue will help them regain their early-season form. Although Mandhana scored a notable 81 runs against Delhi Capitals earlier, her struggle against spin remains a major concern.
Besides the consistent performances from Australian star Ellyse Perry, who has amassed 295 runs with four half-centuries, RCB’s batting lineup has largely underperformed. England’s Danni Wyatt-Hodge has managed just one fifty and a total of 137 runs, reflecting broader issues within their batting order.
RCB's bowling attack, spearheaded by Renuka Singh Thakur with 10 wickets and spinner Georgia Wareham with nine scalps, has also been plagued by inconsistency. Spinners Ekta Bisht and Kanika Ahuja have particularly struggled to exert control in the crucial middle overs.
Head-to-Head: UP Warriorz Hold Psychological Advantage
The last encounter between UP Warriorz and RCB ended dramatically in a tie, with UP Warriorz prevailing in the Super Over. Notably, Warriorz posted their season-high total of 180 runs against RCB, which could boost their confidence heading into this crucial game.
Squads:
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Smriti Mandhana (c), Kanika Ahuja, Ekta Bisht, Charlie Dean, Kim Garth, Richa Ghosh (wk), Heather Graham, VJ Joshitha, Sabbhineni Meghana, Nuzhat Parween, Jagravi Pawar, Ellyse Perry, Raghvi Bist, Sneh Rana, Prema Rawat, Renuka Singh Thakur, Georgia Wareham, Danni Wyatt-Hodge.
UP Warriorz: Deepti Sharma (c), Anjali Sarvani, Chamari Athapaththu, Uma Chetry (wk), Sophie Ecclestone, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Arushi Goel, Kranti Goud, Grace Harris, Chinelle Henry, Poonam Khemnar, Alana King, Tahlia McGrath, Kiran Navgire, Shweta Sehrawat, Gouher Sultana, Saima Thakor, Vrinda Dinesh.
