WPL 2025: RCB face UP Warriorz in must-win battle
What's the story
Royal Challengers Bangalore face a do-or-die match against UP Warriorz on March 8 in Lucknow as they look to book a berth in the playoffs of the 2025 Women's Premier League.
RCB are placed fourth and need to win both their remaining matches to remain in the race.
A single defeat would knock them out of contention.
Meanwhile, UP Warriorz were knocked out by the Gujarat Giants and will be hoping to end their season on a high.
Performance review
RCB's recent struggles and key players
After a promising start, RCB have lost four games on the trot, raising questions about their form.
The batting is heavily dependent on Ellyse Perry, while Smriti Mandhana is witnessing a lean patch.
To add on, the other batters have been inconsistent too.
On the bowling side, Renuka Singh, Kim Garth, and Georgia Wareham have taken 25 wickets combined, but the team lacks effective fourth and fifth bowling options.
Team analysis
UP Warriorz's challenges and standout players
UP Warriorz have struggled in both the batting and bowling departments, worsened by constant shuffling of their batting order.
Despite Chinelle Henry's explosive end-of-innings performances, she hasn't been promoted to fix middle-order woes.
Captain Deepti Sharma's show as a player and bowler has also been underwhelming, with five wickets from seven games at an economy rate of 8.11.
Sophie Ecclestone continues to be the only bowler to have consistently threatened on the field.
Spotlight
Ellyse Perry and Sophie Ecclestone: Players to watch
Ellyse Perry has been RCB's best performer this season with four half-centuries, the most by any player in this WPL so far.
She has amassed 295 runs in six matches at a phenomenal strike rate of 149.74.
Meanwhile, UP Warriorz's Ecclestone is the only bowler to have bowled her full quota of four overs in all seven matches, picking up six wickets at an economy rate of 6.96.
Top performers - RCB
A look at RCB's star players so far
As mentioned, Perry has been the standout player for RCB.
In terms of runs, Perry is followed by Mandhana who has managed 140 runs at 23.22 (six innings). Her strike rate reads 135.92.
With the ball Renuka has bagged 10 wickets (six innings) at 17.10 (ER: 7.12).
Georgia Wareham trails Renuka with nine wickets in six innings with an economy of 8.71.
Top performers - UPW
UPW's top performers so far
Meanwhile, Henry has been the standout player for UPW with the bat.
She has smashed 144 runs (six innings) at 28.80. Her strike rate reads 211.76 with a best score of 62.
Grace Harris trails Henry with 124 runs at 17.71 (seven innings). Her strike rate reads 107.82.
With the ball Harris has bagged eight wickets (seven innings) at 14.25 (ER: 7.86).
Sophie Ecclestone trails Harris with six wickets in seven innings with an economy of 6.96.
Points table
A look at the WPL 2025 points table
Delhi Capitals still sit atop the table after their loss against the Gujarat Giants with 10 points from eight matches and a net run rate (NRR) of +0.396.
Gujarat and Mumbai Indians share eight points, standing second and third, respectively.
They have an NRR of +0.334 and +0.267, respectively, from seven and six games.
RCB are fourth with four points from six games (NRR: -0.244). UPW are out of playoff contention with four points from seven games (NRR: -0.785).