🏏WPL 2025: Match 20 - RCB W vs MI W at Brabourne, 11/03/25🏏 - Page 14

🏏WPL 2025: Match 18 - RCB W vs UP Warriorz W at Lucknow, 08/03/25🏏

RCB in must-win territory against out-of-contention Warriorz

RCB, who are playing after a six-day break, will need to win their next two games to stay alive in the competition

The spotlight is on RCB. Placed fourth, the defending champions will have to win both their remaining games, starting with this contest against bottom-placed UP Warriorz, and then wait for other results to go their way to qualify for the playoffs. Losing even one out of the next two games will put them out of contention. Warriorz, meanwhile, were knocked out by Gujarat Giants on Friday and will look to finish the season on a high.

Four straight defeats after two successive wins have left RCB with more questions than answers. The batting has looked overly dependent on Ellyse Perry, with Smriti Mandhana in the middle of a lean patch. The rest of the line-up has been inconsistent. While Renuka Singh, Kim Garth and Georgia Wareham have taken the bulk of responsibility with the ball and have 25 wickets combined, RCB have been found wanting with their fourth and fifth bowling options. Will a six-day break help them bounce back?

Warriorz have struggled in all departments, and the constant shuffling of their batting order hasn't helped. Chinelle Henry, despite being explosive at the death, has not gotten a promotion to address the middle-order woes. Deepti Sharma has also had an underwhelming outing as captain and bowler, picking up five wickets in seven games at an economy rate of 8.11. Sophie Ecclestone has been the only bowler who has looked threatening.

The last time these two sides met, the match witnessed a drama-filled Super Over finish with Warriorz coming on top.

Team News

UP Warriorz

In her two games for UPW late in WPL 2025, Gouher Sultana has bowled one over and leaked 16 in that. She might make way for a like-for-like Rajeshwari Gayakwad, if not an additional pacer.

Probable XI: Grace Harris, Georgia Voll, Vrinda Dinesh, Deepti Sharma (c), Shweta Sehrawat, Kiran Navgire, Uma Chetry (wk), Chinelle Henry, Sophie Ecclestone, Gouher Sultana/Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Kranti Goud

Royal Challengers Bengaluru

In the post-match chat with the broadcaster, skipper Mandhana brushed off the suggestion that RCB contemplated the tactical call to retire out Raghavi Bist against DC after her tepid start. Now, a week later, In do-or-die situation they might be desperate to ring in a change or two.

Probable XI: Smriti Mandhana (c), Danielle Wyatt-Hodge, Ellyse Perry, Raghvi Bist/S Meghana, Kanika Ahuja, Richa Ghosh (wk), Georgia Wareham, Kim Garth, Sneh Rana, Renuka Singh Thakur, Ekta Bisht/Prema Rawat

Form guide

Royal Challengers Bengaluru LLL (last three matches, most recent first)

UP Warriorz LLL

When: Saturday, March 8 at 7:30 PM IST

Where: Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow

What to expect: Dew is back in the conversations at WPL 2025, and given its heavy presence in the evenings in Lucknow at this time of the year, the opting-to-chase trend will continue in all likelihood.

In the spotlight: Ellyse Perry and Sophie Ecclestone

Ellyse Perry has been the in-form batter for RCB this season. She has four-half centuries, the most by a player in this WPL, and has accumulated 295 runs in six matches at a strike rate of 149.74. With Mandhana and Danni Wyatt-Hodge struggling for form at the top, the focus will be on Perry. Lucknow has already witnessed three half-centuries in the first two matches, all coming from top-order batters. Perry has to do it again, with RCB's season on the line.

Sophie Ecclestone stunned the Chinnaswamy Stadium with her all-round heroics when RCB hosted Warriorz two weeks ago. She is the only bowler at Warriorz to have bowled her full quota of four overs in all seven matches. That has fetched her six wickets at an economy rate of 6.96.

Key stats

• Warriorz have lost 33 wickets in the middle overs (from 7 to 16), the most by a team in WPL 2025.
• Perry has struck at 143.42 against Warriorz, her highest strike rate against a team in the WPL.
• Henry has the highest strike rate in this WPL - at 211.76.

Four straight defeats at home have left Royal Challengers Bengaluru on the brink of replicating their dubious record from the inaugural season, and there's no team that better understands what such a winless streak does to playoffs qualification. Coincidentally, it was against the UP Warriorz in WPL 2023 that RCB had broken the jinx finally, and they'd be hoping to prolong the hosts' misery this time in a bid to revive their chances of a top-three finish on Saturday.

RCB had the unwavering support of about a 28,000-strong crowd on average during the Bengaluru leg, but it was the pitch and conditions that nullified their home advantage. Losing all four tosses didn't help, but their over-reliance on Ellyse Perry shone bright across the four games, whether RCB admit it or not. On one hand is Perry with her "inhumane effort" and season's second-highest tally of 295 runs at an average of 98.3 in six outings, invariably swapping out the RCB red for the tournament Orange Cap every outing. And on the other is the rest of the top-four totalling 358 runs at 22.37 in the season. Take out Mandhana's match-winning 81 against or Danni Wyatt-Hodge's maiden fifty against UPW from that total, it paints a worrisome picture.

Top-order woes are a common theme across the board. In the last four games, Warriorz have changed their opening combination thrice around Grace Harris, and with the maiden half-century of Georgia Voll, they may have finally settled on the Australian pair. The inequitable interspersion of domestic talent and experienced international stars had already caused irreparable damage in the first half, often leaving their power-hitters too much to do at the end. On days they were able to pull it off - like Chinelle Henry's assault on Delhi capitals or Sophie Ecclestone's heist against RCB - it made for two of the most thrilling contests of this edition, but Warriorz have struggled largely on either side of those successive wins.

On paper, only NRR separates RCB (-0.244) and UPW (-0.785) but RCB do have a game in hand - in Mumbai on the last night of the round-robin stage. Their defeat to Gujarat Giants in their homecoming had left Warriorz only mathematically hanging in the playoffs equation, and requiring favour from other teams. That is, if they can first do themselves a favour and sign off their inconsistent season on a high with a win against RCB to jump up in the standings

Pitch Report

The track at the Ekana International Cricket Stadium offers low bounce. The weather is expected to remain pleasant and clear during the game, with no chance of rain. The team winning the toss might opt to bowl first, as this would help the team to get momentum and score runs easily in the second innings.

BLR-W vs UP-W Probable Best Performers

Probable best batter: Ellyse Perry

Dangerous all-rounder Ellyse Perry could be the best batter in the upcoming match of the season against UP Warriorz. The Australian is currently the second-highest run-scorer in the tournament, with 295 runs in six innings at an average of 98.33. The right-handed batter has already hit four half-centuries and is in a great touch. The last time these two sides faced each other, Perry hit an unbeaten 90 off just 56 balls with nine fours and three sixes.

Probable best bowler: Renuka Singh Thakur

The pacer Renuka Singh Thakur is the second-highest wicket-taker of the competition, with 10 wickets to her name from six outings at an average of 17.10 and an economy of 7.12. The right-arm pacer picked up 2/36 against UP in their last outing and will be eager to replicate her performance in the upcoming fixture.

Today's Match Prediction: Chasing team to win the match

Scenario 1

• Royal Challengers Bengaluru Women win the toss and bowl
• PP Score - 35-45
• UP-W - 130-140
• Royal Challengers Bengaluru Women win the match

Scenario 2

• UP Warriorz Women win the toss and bowl
• PP score - 45-55
• BLR-W- 140-150
• UP Warriorz Women win the match

Disclaimer: The prediction is based on the understanding, analysis, and instinct of the author. While making your prediction, consider the points mentioned, and make your own decision.

Hi , thanks for the tag my dear . May the best team win .