WPL Live: Mandhana's RCB takes on Healy's Warriorz

UP Warriorz finished third in the inaugural edition last year in March in a competition which was dominated by eventual winners Mumbai Indians and to a large extent by runners-up Delhi Capitals, with their aggressive approaches.

The Alyssa Healy-led UP Warriorz have international stars such as Grace Harris, Sophie Ecclestone, Tahlia McGrath, Danielle Wyatt and Chamari Athapaththu, who was a last minute replacement for England pacer Lauren Bell.

UP Warriorz splurged Rs 1.3 crore on uncapped Karnataka batter Vrinda Dinesh during the auction last December, making her the second-most expensive player in the competition after Kashvee Gautam.

Sri Lankan superstar Chamari Athapaththu's addition is a massive shot in the arm for UP Warriorz and offers a happy selection headache for the team, which has a lot of quality overseas options, said skipper Alyssa Healy on Friday.

RCB captain Smriti Mandhana is ready to lead from the front in their first match of the WPL 2 after a dissappointing first season.

RCB are raring to go in the WPL Season 2 following an intensive 10-day camp where the players bonded and sharpened their skills.

In the inaugural WPL season, Mandhana struggled under the weight of this two-fold role, and her batting suffered a considerable dip. The elegant left-hander could only manage 149 runs from eight matches, averaging a feeble 18 and at a strike-rate of 119.

The RCB had finished fourth in the five-team league last season, and coach Luke Williams said under the leadership of Mandhana the team looked much more settled this time.