"RCB have made a comeback earlier as well" - Former India all-rounder on Royal Challengers Bengaluru's must-win WPL 2025 clash vs UP Warriorz

Former India all-rounder Reema Malhotra has noted that the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) need to stage a comeback in WPL 2025, as they did in the last edition of the Women's Premier League. She expressed hope about the defending champions heading into their last two league games with a fresh approach.

RCB will square off against the UP Warriorz (UPW) in their penultimate WPL 2025 league game in Lucknow on Saturday, March 8. They need to beat UPW on Saturday and the Mumbai Indians (MI) in their final league match in Mumbai three days later to harbor any hopes of qualifying for the Eliminator.

During a discussion on Star Sports, Malhotra was asked how should RCB approach their WPL 2025 clash against UPW.

"Go into the ground with the thinking that you have to come out after a win only as you don't have a second option now. RCB have made a comeback earlier as well. The expectation will be that they would make a comeback," she responded.

The cricketer-turned-commentator opined that Smriti Mandhana and company would be heading into their only match in Lucknow after working on their shortcomings from the previous leg in Bengaluru.

"They are playing after a week's gap. So they would be coming with a fresh mind and wouldn't want to repeat the mistakes they have committed. They would be coming after doing their homework properly. They might be thinking that the Bengaluru leg wasn't good, but the conditions are different now as they have reached Lucknow," Malhotra elaborated.

RCB started their WPL 2025 campaign with wins against the Gujarat Giants (GG) and the Delhi Capitals (DC) in Vadodara. However, they suffered defeats in all four of their league games in Bengaluru and are left with an uphill task to reach the knockouts.

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"It never seemed RCB would be in such a situation" - Sushma Verma on the impact of Super Over loss heading into WPL 2025 reverse fixture vs UPW

RCB lost to UPW in a Super Over in their WPL 2025 clash in Bengaluru. [P/C: wplt20.com]

In the same discussion, former Gujarat Giants player Sushma Verma was asked whether the Super Over loss against the UP Warriorz in Bengaluru would play on the Royal Challengers Bengaluru players' minds ahead of the reverse fixture.

"Definitely, I agree with you, because the way RCB had been playing before that match, it never seemed RCB would be in such a situation, the way they lost four back-to-back matches. It's a massive setback for any team or player when you are the champions," she replied.

The wicketkeeper-batter opined that RCB would be under pressure in Saturday's game.

"The pressure is on you and there are expectations from you. You have a fan following like RCB. I think they are feeling the pressure more at this stage because it's a must-win game from RCB's point of view, or else they will be out of the tournament," Verma reasoned.

The UP Warriorz are placed last on the WPL 2025 points table and are already eliminated from the tournament. The Royal Challengers Bengaluru need convincing wins in their two remaining league games to pip either the Mumbai Indians or the Gujarat Giants to an Eliminator berth.