RCB Bows Out of WPL 2025 After Narrow Defeat to UP Warriorz
In a thrilling match on Saturday, March 8, at Ekana Stadium in Lucknow, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) found themselves knocked out of the Women’s Premier League 2025 (WPL 2025) after a close match against UP Warriorz (UP-W). RCB lost by just 12 runs, ending their hopes of progressing in the tournament.
UP Warriorz batted first and set a daunting target, scoring 225 runs for the loss of five wickets in their 20 overs. The standout performer for UP was Georgia Voll, who played a magnificent innings, finishing with 99 not out off 56 balls.
RCB’s chase started off poorly as they lost their captain, Smriti Mandhana, early for just 4 runs. However, Ellyse Perry and Sabbhineni Meghana made a valiant effort to keep RCB’s run chase alive, scoring 28 off 15 and 27 off 12, respectively. By the time Richa Ghosh entered the game, RCB was at 76 for 3 in 6.5 overs.
Despite struggling to find reliable partners, Ghosh took matters into her own hands. The talented wicketkeeper played a sensational inning, scoring 69 runs off just 33 balls, including six fours and five sixes. Her aggressive style gave hope to RCB’s fans, but her innings came to an end when Deepti Sharma caught her out at deep square leg.
In a last-ditch effort, Sneh Rana contributed a quick 26 runs off 6 balls, giving RCB a glimmer of hope, but her dismissal sealed RCB’s fate as they were all out for 213 runs in 19.3 overs.
Earlier, UP Warriorz got off to a flying start. Opener Grace Harris added 39 runs off 22 balls, teaming up with Voll to score 77 runs for the first wicket in just 43 balls. Voll’s impressive performance was supported by Kiran Navgire, who smashed 46 runs off 16 balls. Voll reached her half-century off just 31 balls and looked poised to make history with a century but fell just short, finishing her innings with a record-equalling score of 99.
Her 99 helped UP set the highest score ever recorded in WPL history, surpassing the previous record of 223 runs. For her outstanding performance, Voll was named Player of the Match. With the victory, UP Warriorz secured the fourth spot in the points table with three wins in eight matches. The Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Giants, and Mumbai Indians have all moved on to the playoffs.
With just two wins from seven games, RCB finishes at the bottom of the table, marking an early exit for the defending champions.
