The 11th match of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2025 promises to be an electrifying clash as the inaugural champions, Mumbai Indians (MI), square off against the UP Warriorz (UPW) at the iconic M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on February 26 at 7:30 PM IST.
MI bounced back impressively after their opening defeat to Delhi Capitals (DC), securing consecutive wins against the Gujarat Giants (GG) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). Meanwhile, UPW endured a shaky start with back-to-back losses against GG and DC but found their rhythm with successive victories, including a thrilling Super Over win against RCB.
Squads:
Mumbai Indians –
Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Akshita Maheshwari, Parunika Sisodia, Amandeep Kaur, Hayley Matthews, Saika Ishaque, Amanjot Kaur, Jintimani Kalita, Sajeevan Sajana, Amelia Kerr, Keerthana Balakrishnan, Sanskriti Gupta, Chloe Tryon, Nadine De Klerk, Shabnim Ismail, G Kamalini, Natalie Sciver-Brunt, Yastika Bhatia.
UP Warriorz –
Deepti Sharma (C), Uma Chetry (WK), Chinelle Henry, Poonam Khemnar, Kiran Navgire, Dinesh Vrinda, Chamari Athapaththu, Grace Harris, Alana King, Tahlia McGrath, Shweta Sehrawat, Anjali Sarvani, Sophie Ecclestone, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Saima Thakor, Arushi Goel, Kranti Goud, Gouher Sultana.
Players to watch out:
G Kamalini –
Just 16 years old, Kamalini has already showcased her ability to handle pressure. Her unbeaten 56 in the U19 World Cup semi-final against England highlighted her composure. In the recent WPL match against RCB, she joined Amanjot Kaur with 24 runs needed off 15 balls, contributing a crucial 11 off 8* and hitting the winning runs to secure victory for MI.
Amanjot Kaur –
Back from injury, Amanjot has been in top form. Against GG, she delivered figures of 1/17, dismissing Harleen Deol. She followed it up with a match-winning all-round performance against RCB, scoring 34* off 27 balls and claiming three key wickets, including Ellyse Perry and Richa Ghosh.
Tahlia McGrath –
A consistent performer with 354 runs and 5 wickets in 17 WPL matches, McGrath is yet to find her form this season. With scores of 0, 1, 24, and 0 and just two wickets in four games, she’ll need to step up to retain her spot in the XI.
Shweta Sehrawat –
After two underwhelming WPL seasons, Sehrawat seems to have found her rhythm. The 2023 U19 World Cup star has scored 95 runs in 4 innings this season, with scores of 16, 37, 11, and 31—a sign she’s starting to live up to her potential.
Pitch:
The M. Chinnaswamy Stadium is renowned for being a batter-friendly surface, offering plenty of scoring opportunities. Spinners could come into play later in the match as the pitch slows down. With an average first-innings score of 177, teams often prefer to bowl first to take advantage of the dew factor in the second innings.
Weather:
Expect clear skies in Bengaluru. The temperature will peak around 31°C during the day, dipping to 18°C at night. Humidity is expected to hover around 37%, with light winds blowing at 16 kph—ideal conditions for a high-scoring encounter.
Fantasy Playing XI:
Yastika Bhatia, Kiran Navgire, Harmanpreet Kaur, Deepti Sharma, Amelia Kerr, Natalie Sciver-Brunt, Hayley Matthews, Grace Harris, Chinelle Henry, Sophie Ecclestone, Shabnim Ismail
Match details:
Date – February 26, 2025
Time – 7:30 PM IST
Venue – M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
Broadcast – Live streaming on Jio Hotstar, telecast on Star Sports
Loves all things female cricket
