In a surprise tactical change at the BCA Stadium UP Warriors Indian all-rounder has been promoted Deepti Sharma To open the batting in their important Match against Royal Challengers Bangalore in WPL 2026. After RCB’s two-match defeat, the captain Smriti Mandhana They won the toss and elected to bowl first, aiming to take advantage of the early support for their seamers on the fresh Vadodara surface.
Explained: Why Deepti Sharma is opening the batting for UP Warriors vs RCB in Vadodara
The decision to make Deepti open the batting could be a calculated gamble by the head coach. Abhishek NairDesigned to address a chronic ‘opening problem’, where the Warriors’ first-wicket partnerships have yielded a disappointing 12.16 runs this season. The direct effect of this reshuffle is that Kiran Navgire has been dropped from the playing eleven for today’s match. Navgire, once the team’s most dangerous power-hitter, suffered a poor form in 2026, scoring just 16 runs at a strike rate of 66.67 in 6 innings. His season has been marred by inconsistency, including three ducks, which caused the Warriors to repeatedly fumble in the powerplay.
Partnership between rookie and captain meg lanning Struggled a lot, failing to score even a single half-century and often taking breaks in the first two overs. To replace Navgire’s spot in the lineup, the Warriors have brought in Simran ShaikhWhile Deepti handles the initial responsibility.
Deepti, who usually anchors the lower-middle order, was today pushed to the top after the top batsman Phoebe Lichfield He was ruled out for the rest of the season with a serious quad injury. While Litchfield’s absence left a huge void of 243 runs, UP chose Deepti’s technical reliability over traditional options to retain the left-right combination with Lanning and provide license for calculated aggression. This experiment serves a dual purpose: It allows UP to negate the initial surge lauren bell more effectively than the struggling rookie, ensuring that power-hitters prefer chloe tryon And deandra dotin It is reserved for attack at the end of the innings.
Also read: 10 lesser known facts about Australia’s newly appointed all-format captain Sophie Molineux
WPL 2026 playoff places: UP Warriors and RCB fight for survival and ultimate dominance
Today’s match serves as a high-pressure finale for the UP Warriors team who are currently at the bottom of the table and need two wins from their last two matches to keep their playoff hopes alive. Warriors are playing in a ‘do or die’ environment after a crushing defeat by 45 runs. gujarat giantsDue to which his tournament life hung in the balance. For ‘Orange and Purple’ The exclusion of promotions of Brigade, Navgire and Deepti is a clear indication of the intention to abandon the failed strategy in favor of a “clean slate” approach.
For RCB, the stakes are equally high but of a different nature; Despite having already qualified for the playoffs, they are desperate to break the two-match losing streak and secure the top spot to secure a direct entry into the WPL 2026 Finals. with Pooja Vastrakar Returning to the RCB lineup today to strengthen their pace attack, a battle between Deepti’s innovative sweep and Shreyanka PatilThe turning-off break is going to be the decisive contest of the evening.
Also read: Shreyanka Patil returns after India women’s white ball team announced for Australia tour
This article was first published here WomenCricket.comA Cricket Times Company.
