RCB-W desperate to get back to winning ways against resurgent UP Warriorz

Things spiralled out of hand for the Royal Challengers Bangalore women’s team after they suffered their second straight defeat against Mumbai Indians in the ongoing edition of WPL 2024.  

With the Bengaluru chapter set to come to an end on Monday, the Royal Challengers Bangalore will be hopeful of turning the tide around, particularly with the race for the play-offs heating up. Smriti Mandhana and company will have their eyes on regrouping to pile up another showdown that will get them back in the hunt.

This clash is going to be vital for both the sides as whoever wins will clinch that all important third spot and if luck prevails, they may even climb up to the second position, all of that will depend on how things go around in terms of the net run rate after the clash between Delhi Capitals and Gujarat Giants.

The Warriorz will be high on confidence after securing two back-to-back wins braving the formidable likes of Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Giants. Whereas for RCB, things are slightly wobbly at the moment while for the Warriorz, they will be coming all guns blazing to keep their momentum intact.

Key player battles:

Smriti Mandhana vs Sophie Ecclestone

Mandhana was in good touch for the first three games but fell short of a showdown against the Mumbai Indians. She would be hopeful of rallying back her flair when the Warriorz come knocking. Ecclestone, who claimed two wickets in the first two games, burst back to life in the preceding encounter registering figures of 3/20. Given her calibre and her reputation, this clash can be a defining one in the context of the fixture.

Ellyse Perry vs Grace Harris

In the clash of two iconic Australian all-rounders, this face-off will be an important one. Perry has been in intimidating touch of late, smashing a fiery 23 in the game against Gujarat Giants while being the solitary beacon of hope against Mumbai Indians. Grace Harris has been in a league of her own. She has smashed 98 runs in the last two games and has been unbeaten too. Even in the opening contest against RCB-W, she was instrumental in shaping up that crucial partnership with Shweta Sehrawat before Asha Sobhana dealt a crucial blow. This contest between the two Aussie stars is going to be the one to watch out for.

Georgia Wareham vs Chamari Athapaththu

Wareham has been silently doing the rounds for RCB-W with a handful of instrumental cameos. It was her resilience against Mumbai Indians alongside Ellyse Perry that got the wheels rolling for RCB. The 34-year-old Sri Lankan all-rounder had a decent outing against Gujarat Giants and will be hopeful of turning the tide around when it comes to facing Wolfie.

Match Details:

Royal Challengers Bangalore vs UP Warriorz

Venue: M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru

Date: 4th March, 2023

Time: 7:30 PM IST

Squads:

Royal Challengers Bangalore:

Asha Shobana, Disha Kasat, Ellyse Perry*, Indrani Roy, Shradda Pokharkar, Renuka Singh, Richa Ghosh, Shreyanka Patil, Smriti Mandhana (C), Sophie Devine*, Georgia Wareham*, Kate Cross*, Ekta Bisht, Shubha Satheesh, S Meghana, Simran Bahadur, Sophie Molineux*, Nadine de Klerk*

UP Warriorz:

Alyssa Healy (C)*, Anjali Sarvani, Deepti Sharma, Grace Harris*, Kiran Navgire, Laxmi Yadav, Parshavi Chopra, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, S Yashasri, Shweta Sehrawat, Sophie Ecclestone*, Tahlia McGrath*, Danni Wyatt*, Vrinda Dinesh, Poonam Khemnar, Saima Thakor, Gouher Sultana, Chamari Athapaththu*