Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will look to carry forward the momentum from a dramatic opening win when they face a formidable UP Warriorz outfit in their second match of the Women’s Premier League on Monday.

Having come through a stern test against Mumbai Indians, the Smriti Mandhana-led RCB pulled off a sensational three-wicket victory on Friday, with South African all-rounder Nadine de Klerk emerging as the hero. Her unbeaten 63, coupled with a four-wicket haul, sealed the contest off the final ball and left MI skipper Harmanpreet Kaur stunned.

While Mumbai responded swiftly with a dominant win over Delhi Capitals in their next outing, the heartbreak of losing a near-certain match is likely to linger. For RCB, however, the last-ball triumph served as a massive confidence booster, and Mandhana will be hopeful that de Klerk can deliver another impactful performance against UP Warriorz.

Despite the win, RCB’s batting remains an area of concern. Mandhana will want more runs from her top order, as de Klerk was the lone standout in the previous match. The onus will be on Grace Harris, Mandhana herself, Dayalan Hemalatha, Richa Ghosh and Radha Yadav to step up and provide stability.

In the bowling department, improvement will be expected from Arundhati Reddy, Shreyanka Patil and Radha Yadav, all of whom proved expensive against Mumbai.

UP Warriorz, meanwhile, are searching for answers after a narrow 10-run defeat to Gujarat Giants in their opening fixture. All-rounder Deepti Sharma, the most expensive Indian buy at the WPL auction at ₹3.2 crore, endured a disappointing outing, finishing wicketless and scoring just one run while chasing a daunting 207.

New captain Meg Lanning will be eager to see Deepti regain form quickly, while also hoping for solid contributions from Kiran Navgire and Harleen Deol at the top of the order. There were positives to take, however, as young Australian Phoebe Litchfield impressed with a superb 78 in a losing cause, offering hope ahead of the RCB clash.

With both teams eager to correct early flaws and build momentum, Monday’s encounter promises to be a compelling contest between two star-studded sides.

Match time: 7:30 PM IST

(By PTI Inputs)

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