UP Warriorz's bitter night awaits sweet tomorrow

Around 11:15 PM, Richa Ghosh was on the side pitch taking throwdowns, with Arundhati Reddy joining in soon. Both had minimal batting time in the match—Ghosh faced only two balls, Reddy none—leaving them to train after an early finish to the RCB-UP Warriorz contest.

On most days when Grace Harris explodes, no total is too big. On most days when a team posts 143/5 at the DY Patil Stadium, it’s undefendable. On every day that Grace Harris explodes chasing 144, it’s one-sided. All three scenarios played out, leaving UP Warriorz’s aggressive batting approach backfiring rapidly. Deandra Dottin, batting at No. 7, was unusually playing a defensive shot by the ninth over.

Even after losing Harleen Deol in the powerplay, UPW had navigated Lauren Bell’s swing cautiously at 26/1 after five overs. Smriti Mandhana introduced Shreyanka Patil in the final powerplay over, a strategic move given Shreyanka’s previous success against Meg Lanning. Lanning pulled a delivery straight to Arundhati Reddy at square leg but survived briefly after a review showed Reddy’s catch wasn’t clean. However, Lanning fell soon after, holing out to Radha Yadav off Shreyanka—her third dismissal to Shreyanka in 14 balls.

UPW’s attacking intent backfired sharply: Phoebe Litchfield, Kiran Navgire, and Shweta Sehrawat fell in three consecutive balls, slumping to 50/5 in the ninth over. Such collapses aren’t rare this season—Mumbai Indians, RCB, and Delhi Capitals have all faced similar slides, with teams still winning from those positions.

To recover, Deepti Sharma and Deandra Dottin had to balance wicket preservation with accelerating the run rate. Dottin’s aggressive style contrasted with Deepti’s steadiness. They capitalized on loose deliveries—Deepti swiped Linsey Smith for a boundary, while Dottin aggressively pulled Nadine de Klerk. Despite their 93-run partnership and RCB’s occasional bowling errors, tight fielding limited UPW to 143.

RCB’s chase was dominated by Smriti Mandhana’s touch and Grace Harris’s power, sealing the game early. UPW’s fielding lapses, including dropped catches, added to their woes but didn’t affect the outcome.

Meg Lanning acknowledged the defeat: “It wasn’t our best night. We were outplayed by RCB. They bowled really well up front, put us under pressure and never allowed us to get away.” Despite two losses, Lanning sees a quick turnaround as an opportunity, with UPW facing Delhi Capitals next in under 24 hours. “The good thing is the games come thick and fast, so we can move on quickly. Sometimes that can actually be a good thing. There are definitely areas we need to tidy up—particularly at the top of the order, myself included.”

Abhishek Nayar, UPW’s head coach, took responsibility for sending Harleen Deol to open but praised the fightback from Deepti and Dottin. “I liked the fact that there was a bit of a fight from Deepti and Dottin later on. I wouldn’t say it was a respectable score. But at least there was a bit of a fight.”

Nayar emphasized moving forward, hoping for a better result against Delhi Capitals. “Our preparation was very good. We won both our practice matches… We played a very good first game—getting 197 chasing 207. No excuses… But sometimes life is like a box of chocolates: you never know what you’re going to get. Today was a dark chocolate, 90% cocoa. So it was quite bitter. Hopefully, the next one is a little sweeter.”