UP Warriorz are facing a critical juncture in their Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2025 campaign. With their playoff aspirations hanging in the balance, they must overcome a struggling Mumbai Indians side when play resumes on Thursday, March 6th, in Lucknow. Mumbai Indians are also seeking a strong comeback after a significant loss.
The Warriorz began the tournament with consecutive defeats in Vadodara before turning things around in Bengaluru. They achieved the first successful score defense of WPL 2025 against Delhi Capitals and then secured a Super Over victory against RCB. However, two subsequent losses have pushed them to the bottom of the points table, level with RCB but possessing a concerning net run rate of -0.786.
Beth Mooney’s impressive 96 not out for Gujarat Giants highlighted the Warriorz’s homecoming struggles, marking only the second successful run-defense this season. On a favorable batting pitch, the Warriorz faltered in both batting and bowling departments and appeared to underutilize their available resources. Most bowlers struggled, with only Chinelle Henry maintaining an economy rate under 8 runs per over. Notably, veteran spinner Gouher Sultana was not used despite being included in the team at the expense of a pace bowler.
UP’s frequently adjusted batting order has also failed to produce consistent run-scorers in a challenging chase. Only Henry and Sophie Ecclestone, batting at numbers 8 and 9 respectively, achieved a strike rate exceeding 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 this strong form, she has not been promoted in the batting order, a move that could potentially address the team’s middle-order vulnerabilities.
For Mumbai Indians, the batting has largely revolved around Nat Sciver-Brunt, who is the second-highest scorer with 272 runs, and Harmanpreet Kaur, with 133 runs. The opening partnership of Hayley Matthews and Yastika Bhatia has been inconsistent, failing to establish solid starts and being separated within the powerplay in all five matches. They have only managed 73 runs in five innings, with three single-digit partnerships. Bhatia, in particular, has struggled since returning from a finger injury. Matthews, however, showed signs of recovery with her first half-century of the season in the previous match against Warriorz. Amelia Kerr’s run of form has also declined, placing more pressure on the captain and vice-captain.
Mumbai Indians’ three-game winning streak was abruptly halted by a dominant nine-wicket defeat inflicted by Delhi Capitals. As they aim for a top-two finish, Mumbai will be eager to regain momentum, especially with their final two round-robin matches scheduled consecutively at home.
Match Information
When: Thursday, March 6 at 7:30 PM IST
Where: Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow
Pitch Expectation: Contrary to the general trend in WPL 2025, Lucknow has favored teams batting first in women’s T20 matches, with 10 wins out of 15. Gujarat Giants recently defended a score of 186 successfully at this venue. While the ground generally assists slower bowlers, pace bowlers like Kashvee Gautam and Deandra Dottin have also performed well here.
Team Updates
UP Warriorz
UP Warriorz replaced Tahlia McGrath with Georgia Voll, who is likely to retain her place despite a duck in her WPL debut. They may consider bringing in a pace bowler in place of Gouher Sultana to strengthen their pace attack after conceding a high score to Gujarat Giants.
Likely XI: Kiran Navgire, Grace Harris, Georgia Voll, Vrinda Dinesh, Deepti Sharma (c), Shweta Sehrawat, Chinelle Henry, Uma Chetry (wk), Sophie Ecclestone, Kranti Goud, Gouher Sultana/Saima Thakor
Mumbai Indians
Saika Ishaque, who was a standout player in the first season, could make a return to the Mumbai Indians’ lineup after missing recent matches. She might replace either Sanskriti Gupta or Jintimani Kalita, especially considering UP Warriorz’s predominantly right-handed batting order.
Likely XI: Hayley Matthews, Yastika Bhatia (wk), Nat Sciver-Brunt, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Amelia Kerr, Amanjot Kaur, Sajeevan Sajana, G Kamalini, Sanskriti Gupta, Shabnim Ismail, Jintimani Kalita/Saika Ishaque
