WPL 2024/25, GG-W vs UPW-W 15th Match Match Preview

Who’s playing

UP Warriorz vs Gujarat Giants
Ekana Stadium, Lucknow, 7.30pm IST

What to expect: Little room for error

Warriorz are playing their last three league games of this season at the Ekana Stadium and will be keen to maximise the home advantage. Their last match against Mumbai Indians saw Warriorz rejig their batting line-up with Grace Harris opening with Kiran Navgire and Vrinda Dinesh moving down to No.3. The move seemed to work with both Harris and Dinesh chipping in with crucial 46 and 33 respectively. However, they have struggled to capitalise on the starts with the bat and have either left it too late for some lower-order hitting from Chinelle Henry and Sophie Ecclestone or ended up with below-par totals. The middle overs is the phase where they are most vulnerable and Giants might look to exploit that. Warriorz have lost the most wickets (24) in the middle overs (7 to 16) in this WPL so far and have been the slowest (6.72) in that phase too.

For Giants, while the bowling department looks largely sorted in terms of role clarity, there are still question marks over their top order. They have used three different opening pairs in five games with only Beth Mooney remaining the only constant at the top. D Hemalatha batted at No.3 in the first three matches in Vadodara was dropped after low scored before being promoted to open against RCB. Harleen Deol started this season in the middle order and then opened with Mooney before she was asked to bat at No. 3 in their previous game. Giants, however, have strengthened their middle order by having left-hander Phoebe Litchfield along with two star allrounders Ash Gardner and Deandra Dottin. Litchfield also played at No.3 for one game before moving down to No. 5 against MI where she looked at ease, scoring an unbeaten 30.

UP Warriorz LWL (last three matches, most recent first)
Gujarat Giants WLL

The Lucknow surface is generally known to assist slower bowlers. Warriorz might be tempted to play an extra spinner in Alana King and drop Tahlia McGrath, who has been struggling with both bat and ball this season.

UP Warriorz (Likely XI): 1 Kiran Navgire, 2 Grace Harris, 3 Vrinda Dinesh, 4 Deepti Sharma (CAPT), 5 Shweta Sehrawat, 6 Uma Chetry (WK), 7 Chinelle Henry, 8 Saima Thakor, 9 Alana King, 10 SOPHIE ACCLESTONE,, 10 11 kranti goud

Giants might also bring back the left-arm spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad in place of fast bowler Meghna Singh.

Gujarat Giants (Likely XI): 1 Beth Mooney (WK), 2 D Hemalatha, 3 Harleen Dol, 4 Ash Gardner (CAPT), 5 Phoebe Litchfield, 6 Deandra Dottin, 7 Kashvee Gautam, 8 Bharti Fooli, 9 Tanuja Kanwar, 10 Meghna Singh/Rajeshwari Gayakwad, 11 Priya Mishra

Players to watch: Grace Harris and Kashvee Gautam