The M. Chinnaswamy stadium is buzzing with joy and excitement as hosts Challengers gear up and ace their preparations for their fourth match of Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2025 at their loveable fortress, against a UP Warriorz side who have come back to winning ways in the tournament.
With the home crowd ready to get behind in huge numbers, RCB will be eager to put on a thrilling performance and rebuild a victorious momentum in the tournament. The team has ticked almost all boxes but fell short against Mumbai Indians in their opening home game. Ahead of this high-octane clash, players from the Red-And-Gold camp shared their thoughts on the contest and their preparations for the evening.
“If you look at three games, different bowlers have stepped up at different occasions. If you look at the second game, Renuka Thakur stepped up. In the third game, Kim Garth was brilliant. Georgia Wareham was brilliant in both the games and the bowling unit in slowly picking up. Rome was not built in a day, and we are slowly going to achieve what we have planned. It’s really exciting to see everyone stepping up at the right time,” said Sunentra Paranjpe, assistant coach, RCB.
Bowler Kim Garth acknowledged that Mumbai got off to a really good start, but as a bowling attack, they managed to drag the game back and shift the momentum in their favor—a big positive they will take into the next game. She added that playing in these conditions is always a good challenge, especially with the small boundaries, which she doesn’t particularly love (laughs).
Talking about UP Warriorz, she noted that they are coming off a strong win and highlighted the impact players like Chinelle Henry and Grace Harris can have. She admitted that Harris is very hard to bowl against but expressed confidence that the RCB bowling group is well-prepared and ready for the challenge.
“They are a quality team and if they fire, they are a dangerous team. We are going to bring out ‘A’ game. They have got some powerful hitters in their line-up. They’ve got some great skills in their bowling department as well. It promises to be a fantastic game at the Chinnaswamy stadium,” she added.
Danni Wyatt- Hodge was in association with the UP Warriorz in the last season and may very well be acquainted with the mental strategies of the think tank in the opposite camp as well.
“There have been few conversions, obviously, Chinelle Henry, and the strategies to stop her, and it promises to be a good game. Nobody has asked me to lead the team meetings, but if anyone wants to talk to me about how to bowl or bat against them (UP Warriorz, her former team), I’m definitely here to help with that,” said the opening batter and accompanist of Smriti Mandhana.
Sunetra Paranjpe, assistant coach of RCB, said that every team in the WPL has firepower, and while the Warriorz played really well in their last game, RCB has its plans set up. She added that with the bowlers stepping up, the team can execute their strategies more effectively.
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru hold an upper hand with 3 wins in four games in this face-off. The defending champions may have endured a slight blip in their previous game but look settled to get back to winning ways.
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