Flamboyant UP Warriorz batter Phoebe Litchfield has been ruled out of the remainder of the Women’s Premier League 2026. The Australia international suffered a quad injury, as CA’s statement confirmed and has returned home for rehab to get in shape ahead of the India series. Notably, the 22-year-old was sensational for the side during her stay, scoring 243 runs in six matches and is the third-leading run-scorer of the season.
In the meantime, UP Warriorz named Amy Jones as her replacement. The keeper-batter walked straight to the playing XI and will feature at number three, behind Meg Lanning and Simran Sheikh. The England international was signed for INR 50 lakhs, which was also her base price in the auction. The 32-year-old has 125 T20Is in her career, scoring 1666 runs at a strike rate of 121.60.
RCB win toss, elect to bowl first
Royal Challengers Bengaluru won the toss and chose to field first at the BCA Stadium in Vadodara. Led by Smriti Mandhana, RCB are a win away from sealing a spot in the final. Even in defeat, their qualification chances remain intact, provided they avoid a heavy loss to UP and Gujarat Giants do not record a big win over Mumbai Indians in their last league match, with net run rate likely to decide the outcome.
For UP, it’s a must-win game. The Meg Lanning-led side needs to win their remaining two matches to stay alive in the competition.
UP Warriorz Women (Playing XI): Meg Lanning (c), Simran Shaikh, Amy Jones (wk), Harleen Deol, Chloe Tryon, Deepti Sharma, Shweta Sehrawat, Sophie Ecclestone, Asha Sobhana Joy, Shikha Pandey, Kranti Gaud
Royal Challengers Bengaluru Women (Playing XI): Grace Harris, Smriti Mandhana (c), Georgia Voll, Radha Yadav, Richa Ghosh (wk), Nadine de Klerk, Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Sayali Satghare, Shreyanka Patil, Lauren Bell