WPL 2025: RCB Wins Toss, Chooses to Bowl in Final Match of Lucknow Stage

Synopsis

On March 8, 2025, in Lucknow, Royal Challengers Bengaluru's captain Smriti Mandhana secured a toss win and opted to bowl first against UP Warriorz in their last league match of the Women's Premier League at the Ekana Cricket Stadium. Both teams made strategic changes, and the match coincided with International Women's Day.

Key Takeaways

RCB's captain Smriti Mandhana won the toss.
RCB opted to bowl first against UP Warriorz.
Two changes were made to both teams' lineups.
UP Warriorz wore pink jerseys for International Women's Day.
Both teams aimed for a significant conclusion to their campaigns.

Lucknow, March 8 (NationPress) Smriti Mandhana, the captain of Royal Challengers Bengaluru, won the toss and decided to bowl first against UP Warriorz in their final league match of the Women's Premier League (WPL) 2025 at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium on Saturday.

Mandhana mentioned that the team has made two changes, with Charlie Dean making her debut, replacing Danni Wyatt-Hodge, while S. Meghana takes the place of Ekta Bisht.

After a brief break, the RCB captain noted that the team reflected on their performance during the Bengaluru leg and engaged in some bonding sessions. Having been in a similar situation the previous year, they aim to learn from past experiences, she stated.

The UP Warriorz donned special pink jerseys to celebrate International Women’s Day. Both captains unveiled a unique banner promoting the education and development of girl children.

"We are thrilled to play on this significant occasion of International Women’s Day, but as a team, we feel disheartened that we won't advance further," expressed Deepti Sharma.

She highlighted some positive aspects for UPW, mentioning that they have tested players based on conditions and aimed to field their strongest eleven. UPW also made two adjustments to their lineup, with Poonam Khemnar and Anjali Sarvani replacing Vrinda Dinesh and Gouher Sultana.

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru must win this match to keep their playoff hopes alive, whereas the UP Warriorz are looking to conclude their campaign with a spirited victory at home after being already eliminated from the tournament.

Playing XIs:

UP Warriorz: Grace Harris, Georgia Voll, Kiran Navgire, Deepti Sharma (c), Shweta Sehrawat, Poonam Khemnar, Uma Chetry (wk), Chinelle Henry, Sophie Ecclestone, Kranti Goud, Anjali Sarvani

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Smriti Mandhana (c), S Meghana, Ellyse Perry, Raghvi Bisht, Richa Ghosh (wk), Kanika Ahuja, Georgia Wareham, Sneh Rana, Charlie Dean, Kim Garth, Renuka Singh.