Match 18 of the 2025 Women’s Premier League season will see the UP Warriorz and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru face off at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on March 8.
Staring at elimination, the Warriorz will hope for a stronger middle-order performance as they aim to derail the reigning WPL champions’ campaign and conclude their own season on a high.
With just four points from seven matches, the UPW are languishing at the bottom of the league table, with only mathematics keeping them in contention for the next round. The RCB are not faring much better, though, having also endured a tough campaign, and have four points from six games after losing four games on the trot. However, they have a game in hand over the Warriorz, which is keeping their playoff hopes alive.
The Warriorz batting order has been far from settled, with frequent changes at the top in the last three games. In pursuit of strong starts, they have struggled to post competitive totals or chase effectively.
The Royal Challengers had started their title defence with back-to-back wins in Vadodara, but since then they have completely lost their way. Placed fourth in the table, their batting frailties have been exposed in the last two matches, with Smriti Mandhana’s form a major concern, though most RCB batters have been inconsistent, except Ellyse Perry. Their bowling unit has been equally inconsistent. Pacer Renuka Singh Thakur tops the wicket-taking list for the RCB with ten scalps, while spinner Georgia Wareham has nine.
Looking ahead to this game at the Ekana Cricket Stadium, the pitches here in recent games have offered more assistance to the seamers, while also offering true value to the shotmakers. If teams opt for caution during the Powerplay, there’s runs to be had in these red-soil wickets. Based on form and the make-up of both the two bowling lineups, we back the Royal Challengers for this crucial encounter.
Fantasy XI: Richa Ghosh, Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Vrinda Dinesh, Smriti Mandhana, Ellyse Perry (c), Georgia Wareham, Chinelle Henry (vc), Deepti Sharma, Kim Garth, Renuka Singh Thakur, Sophie Ecclestone
Venue: Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow
Winners Prediction: Royal Challengers Bengaluru
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