Hello everyone! Welcome to Sportskeeda's ongoing live coverage of the Women's Premier League, 2025! Delhi Capitals will take on UP Warriorz in Match 8 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. Bringing all the T20 action to you from this exciting game is the commentary pair of Bidipto and Maanas. Before we get started, do give the preview a read right here 👇.
Right then, we have had a fine opening game to kick off the Bengaluru leg. The two champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Mumbai Indians went up against each other and it was an enthralling contest with the 2023 champions winning the match by four wickets. A young G Kamalini, batting down the order, managed to get the ball past the infield through the offside ensuring that Mumbai Indians registered their second win of the tournament.
A short turnaround now for two of the five teams as the losing finalists of both editions, Delhi Capitals, will be in action against a team they faced not too long ago - the UP Warriorz, who have had a very poor start to the tournament. The two teams faced each other just a few days ago with the Capitals edging past in a thriller.
The Capitals will be playing their fourth game of the tournament, a stage where they will find themselves halfway through their campaign. They started off their tournament with a nervy, last-ball win against Mumbai Indians. However, their dreamy start came crashing down when the defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru trounced them comfortably. They made a fine comeback though, winning their last game off the penultimate delivery.
As the tournament has gone along, DC have had some key components starting to come good. Skipper Meg Lanning and Marizanne Kapp did the star turn with the bat in the last game and emerged as the biggest takeaways, with Annabel Sutherland also holding an end well. Shafali Verma has been in excellent power-hitting form in the powerplay and with Niki Prasad doing her bit in the first game, it's all about these components coming together consistently given that the Capitals, while having won two matches, have been far from clinical.
Their bowling unit has also fared alright despite Kiran Navgire laying into them in the last game. Annabel Sutherland has been their leading wicket-taker but is in need of consistent help from the other end. Shikha Pandey went for plenty in the last game but has done well outside of it with Arundhati Reddy steadily getting better too. Minnu Mani has been impressive as well whenever summoned to deliver but it is Kapp who will be eager to step up with the new ball.
UP Warriorz seemed to have hit the wrong note to start their tournament and they will want to rectify that as soon as possible. They come into this game on the back of two losses. In the opening game, they were brushed aside by Ashleigh Gardner and Gujarat Giants while in the second, they ran in close against Delhi Capitals, but a lack of composure coupled with a shoddy display on the field cost them.
Their batting hasn't hit its straps yet and that has been a major cause of concern for them. Navgire remains key to the team's hopes at the top in the absence of Alyssa Healy while lower down the order, Chinelle Henry has been a great addition as well. However, Tahila McGrath and Grace Harris are yet to find form in the middle order and that is something that the Warriorz need to turn around for the better and soon at that. Shweta Sehrawat too did a fine job in the last game but her scoring tempo remains a subject of scrutiny.
Their bowling unit has also not stood up to the challenge though. Deepti Sharma has failed to show the way even as the entire unit has managed just seven wickets in two games so far. Sophie Ecclestone has picked up three of those but the rest need to step up with the team's campaign bound to reach last-chance salon should they not come out with a win on Saturday.
Head to head, Delhi Capitals have won three out of the four games the two sides have been involved in. UP Warriorz won only last year and by a slender margin of one run. Can they manage to do something of that sort again or will Delhi Capitals continue their winning record in this match-up? It sure promises to be an interesting one as we wait to find out!
Delhi Capitals (Probable XI): Shafali Verma, Meg Lanning (c), Jemimah Rodrigues, Marizanne Kapp, Annabel Sutherland, Niki Prasad, Sarah Bryce (wk), Jess Jonassen, Shikha Pandey, Arundhati Reddy, Minnu Mani
UP Warriorz (Probable XI): Kiran Navgire, Vrinda Dinesh, Uma Chetry (wk), Deepti Sharma (c), Tahlia McGrath, Grace Harris, Chinelle Henry, Shweta Sehrawat, Sophie Ecclestone, Kranti Goud, Rajeshwari Gayakwad
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M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
