WPL 2026: Vastrakar Returns, Amy Jones Debuts as RCB Face Must-Win UPW

Following a slow start, the venue's recent two matches have shown improved batting conditions, with teams scoring over 170 in each of the last four innings. In contrast, this total was only exceeded once during the first eight innings. Despite this, the last two games have seen teams successfully defend, providing chasing teams with some food for thought.

UP Warriorz face a setback as Phoebe Litchfield has been ruled out of the remainder of the tournament due to an injury, and Amy Jones has been added as her replacement. The Aussie has returned home to begin her rehab, aiming to recover in time for the multi-format home series against India starting next month. Amy Jones will be making her WPL debut.

It's a must-win game for the Warriorz, who will keep their qualification hopes alive with a win but will bow out of the tournament and face elimination if they end up losing. RCB, meanwhile, became the first team to qualify for the playoffs with five consecutive wins to start their campaign. However, they have recently faced setbacks but continue to dominate at the top of the table, and a victory against UPW will confirm their place in the final.

Winning the toss, RCB skipper Smriti Mandhana said, "Good wicket to bat on, already played against Mumbai Indians, need to bowl in good areas. One thing I've mentioned is to think tactically, not emotionally. We've done a lot of things right to win the first 5, just keep things simple, someone else might play better cricket, just keep it simple."

Speaking of the team's playing combination, Mandhana mentioned that Pooja Vastrakar is set to make her comeback to competitive cricket after a prolonged injury break, saying, "We have one change, Pooja comes back in place of Gautami, she had one year off, looking forward to her comeback. She's good to bat, bowling will take some time, we'll have a look at how things progress."

Meanwhile, UP Warriorz skipper Meg Lanning mentioned that Jones has replaced Litchfield in the XI. "We need to win every game we play, so there's nothing to lose as far as we're concerned. It was a nice break, we focused on things that we need to get better at, places where we can improve, and we're happy to come into the XI. A couple of changes - Amy Jones comes in place of Litchfield, Simran is in place of Navgire. A new opening partner for me," she said.

Playing XIs:

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Grace Harris, Smriti Mandhana (c), Georgia Voll, Radha Yadav, Richa Ghosh (wk), Nadine de Klerk, Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Sayali Satghare, Shreyanka Patil, Lauren Bell

UP Warriorz: Meg Lanning (c), Simran Shaikh, Amy Jones (wk), Harleen Deol, Chloe Tryon, Deepti Sharma, Shweta Sehrawat, Sophie Ecclestone, Asha Sobhana Joy, Shikha Pandey, Kranti Gaud

- IANS