UP Warriorz are facing a critical situation in their playoff aspirations and must rally their campaign against a wounded Mumbai Indians team. The Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2025 action is set to resume in Lucknow on Thursday, March 6th.
After enduring two significant losses at the start of the tournament in Vadodara, the Warriorz showed resilience in Bengaluru. They achieved the first successful score defense in WPL 2025 against Delhi Capitals, who have already qualified for the playoffs. They also secured a Super Over victory against RCB thanks to Sophie Ecclestone’s stellar performance. However, their momentum waned with two subsequent defeats, dropping them to the bottom of the points table, level with RCB but with a concerning Net Run Rate of -0.786.
Beth Mooney’s unbeaten 96 runs spoiled UP Warriorz’s return home, leading Gujarat Giants to a total of 186. This marked only the second instance of a successful run defense this season. On a favorable batting pitch, the Warriorz struggled in both batting and bowling. Their bowling performance was subpar, with only Chinelle Henry maintaining an economy rate under 8 runs per over. Veteran spinner Gouher Sultana was surprisingly unused, despite being selected over a pace bowler.
UP’s inconsistent batting order also failed to produce impactful performances in the high-scoring chase. Only Henry and Ecclestone, batting at positions 8 and 9, achieved a strike rate above 100. Henry has an impressive strike rate of 210 but has only accumulated 138 runs in five innings due to her low batting position. Despite her strong hitting ability, she hasn’t been promoted up the order, a move that could potentially address the team’s middle-order issues.
For Mumbai Indians, Nat Sciver-Brunt (272 runs, ranked 2nd) and Harmanpreet Kaur (133 runs, ranked 13th) have been the primary run-scorers. However, their opening pair, Hayley Matthews and Yastika Bhatia, has struggled to establish solid starts, being separated within the powerplay in all five matches. They have only managed 73 runs in 5 innings, with single-digit partnerships on three occasions. Bhatia has particularly struggled since returning from a finger injury. Matthews showed signs of recovery with her first half-century of the season in the previous match against Warriorz in Bengaluru. Amelia Kerr’s run-scoring form has also declined this year, putting more pressure on the captain and vice-captain.
Mumbai Indians’ three-game winning streak was abruptly halted by a dominant nine-wicket defeat against Delhi Capitals, completing a double victory for DC over MI. Aiming for a top-two finish, Mumbai will be keen to regain momentum, especially as their final two home games are scheduled on consecutive nights.
Venue: Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow
Pitch Expectations: Contrary to the general trend in WPL 2025, Lucknow has favored teams batting first in women’s T20s, with 10 wins out of 15 games, including Gujarat Giants’ recent successful defense of 186 against UP Warriorz. Giants’ pace bowlers Kashvee Gautam and Deandra Dottin performed well, despite the venue typically assisting slower bowlers.
Team Updates
UP Warriorz: The home team replaced Tahlia McGrath with Georgia Voll in their playing XI. Voll is likely to retain her spot despite a duck in her WPL debut. Warriorz also included Gouher Sultana but did not utilize her bowling services. They might consider replacing her with an additional pace bowler, feeling the need for more pace options after conceding 186 runs to Gujarat Giants.
Probable XI: Kiran Navgire, Grace Harris, Georgia Voll, Vrinda Dinesh, Deepti Sharma (c), Shweta Sehrawat, Chinelle Henry, Uma Chetry (wk), Sophie Ecclestone, Kranti Goud, Saima Thakor
Mumbai Indians: Saika Ishaque, a standout player from the first season, has been absent from WPL 2025 since conceding runs in MI’s opening match against DC. Against a predominantly right-handed UP Warriorz batting lineup, she could be considered in place of Sanskriti Gupta or Jintimani Kalita, both of whom have bowled limited overs so far.
Probable XI: Hayley Matthews, Yastika Bhatia (wk), Nat Sciver-Brunt, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Amelia Kerr, Amanjot Kaur, Sajeevan Sajana, G Kamalini, Sanskriti Gupta, Shabnim Ismail, Saika Ishaque
