Their playoffs hopes hanging by a thread, UP Warriorz have an uphill task of turning their campaign around against a hurting Mumbai Indians when the WPL 2025 action resumes on Thursday (March 6) in Lucknow.
Warriorz began the tournament with back to back heavy defeats in Vadodara before the turnaround in Bengaluru when they became the first team in WPL 2025 to defend a score - against the now-qualified Delhi Capitals. They then won the first-ever Super Over in the competition after an all-round act from Sophie Ecclestone stunned RCB and its partisan crowd. However, they've gone on to lose two games since to plummet to the bottom of the points table - tied with RCB on four points each but with a worrying NRR of -0.786.
Beth Mooney soiled the Warriorz homecoming with 96* to set up Gujarat Giants' 186, making it only the second instance this season of a successful run-defence. On a true wicket, Warriorz struggled in both departments and were also guilty of underutisiling their resources. The bowlers had an off day with only Chinelle Henry managing an economy under 8 RPO, where as veteran left-arm spinner Gouher Sultana wasn't used at all despite being brought in at the expense of a pacer (Saima Thakor).
UP's constantly-changing batting order too found no heroes to put their hand up in a tall chase. Only Henry and Ecclestone - batting at no. 8 and 9 respectively - managed a strike-rate above 100. Henry has struck at an impressive strike-rate of 210 but has managed only 138 runs in five outings - a function of her low batting position. Despite this red-hot hitting form, she hasn't seen the batting promotion she deserves which could actually take care of the team's middle-order woes.
Speaking of middle-order heft, the pair of Nat Sciver-Brunt (272, 2nd rank) and Harmanpreet Kaur (133 runs, 13th) have done the bulk of scoring for the inaugural champions. They opening pair of Hayley Matthews and Yastika Bhatia have failed to provide solid platforms, and have been separated within the PowerPlay in all five matches so far. They've only put on 73 runs in 5 innings, and on three occasions it's been single-digit partnerships with Bhatia especially struggling to get going on her return from finger fracture. Matthews, however, has shown signs of comeback with her first fifty of the season in the reverse fixture in Bengaluru. The runs of Amelia Kerr, their no. 5, have also dried up this year, putting the onus, and more pressure, on the captain and vice-captain duo.
MI's three-match winning streak was brought to a screeching halt with a crushing nine-wicket loss Delhi Capitals inflicted on them to pull off a double against them. With a top-two finish in sight, Mumbai wouldn't want to leave too much to do towards the last leg - at home for them - where their last-two round-robin fixtures are on consecutive nights.
Good luck to both teams
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