The second semi final of the senior women’s T20 league will be played between Railways and Odisha on May 2 at Lalbhai Contractor Stadium in Surat.
Match preview
Squads
Railways: Mithali Raj (captain), Rajeshwari Gayakwad, S Meghana, Arundhati Reddy, Nuzhat Parween, Mona Meshram, Poonam Yadav, Dayalan Hemalatha, Meghna Singh, Swagatika Rath, Sneh Rana, T Shani, Renuka Singh Thakur, Ekta Bisht, Tanuja Kanwer, Tanushree Sarkar, Anjali Sarvani, Pushpa Kiresur, Preeti Bose, Punam Raut
Odisha: Madhusmita Behera, Kajal Jena, Sarita Meher, Sushree Pradhan, Pragyan Mohanty, Tanmayee Behera, Subhra Nirjharini Swain, Madhuri Meheta, Poonam Nayak, Monalisha Rout, Rameswari Naik, Sujata Mallick, Taranna Pradhan, Banalata Mallick, Priyanka Sahoo, Rasanara Parwin, Laxmipriya Naik, Sunita Murmu, Sarojini Giri, Silpa Swain
Players to watch out for
Dayalan Hemalatha:
She has been one of the most prolific batters for Railways. In the quarter final against Kerala she muscled an unbeaten 64 off 37 balls to help her side post 166 runs in 20 overs. This top order batter will be the key to Railways’ success.
Swagatika Rath:
She is a genuine all-rounder from Railways. In her last outing, she made useful contributions with both bat and ball. Opening the batting, she scored 22 runs off 24 balls and with the ball picked up one wicket in two overs.
Madhuri Meheta:
The opening batter of Odisha packed a punch with 66 runs off 55 balls. She top scored for her team. Her innings was laced with eight boundaries and she guided her team to a total of 151 runs in 20 overs.
Sujata Mallik:
She opened the bowling for Odisha in her last match against Haryana and picked up the key wicket of Shafali Verma in the third over of the innings. She scalped 2-20 in three overs. She is a good new ball bowler.
Pitch
The venue will offer a riveting contest between bat and ball as both the batters and bowlers will get some purchase from the wicket. The spinners might find it difficult in the second innings as there could be some dew.
Weather
The weather is expected to be sunny and warm in the afternoon and clear and humid in the evening. The average temperature will drop from 36 degrees Celsius in the afternoon to 30 degrees Celsius in the evening. There will be seven percent cloud cover in the afternoon and four percent cloud cover in the evening. There is no chance of rain and the wind will blow from the south-southwest.
Fantasy Playing XI
Nuzhat Parween, Dayalan Hemalatha, Sabbhineni Meghana, Madhuri Meheta, Swagatika Rath, Sneh Rana, Sushree Dibyadarshini, Poonam Yadav, Rasanara Parwin, Sujata Mallik, Priyanka Priyadarshini
Match details
Date: May 2, 2022
Time: 4.30pm IST
Venue: Lalbhai Contractor Stadium, Surat
I am a former cricketer having represented Mumbai University at All India University level. I was a part of MCA probables for the U-19 and U-23 age group. I have been an avid cricket writer for the last five years. Currently I am pursuing my Ph.D from IIT Bombay.