After years of discussion and deliberation, the Women’s Premier League (WPL) is all set to hit the ground. The inaugural edition of the long-awaited WPL will kick start on March 4, with Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Giants locking horns against each other at the DY Patil Cricket Stadium. The game will begin at 7.30 PM IST.
Squads
Mumbai Indians: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Nat Sciver, Amelia Kerr, Pooja Vastrakar, Yastika Bhatia, Heather Graham, Isabelle Wong, Amanjot Kaur, Dhara Gujjar, Saika Ishaque, Hayley Mathews, Chloe Tryon, Humairaa Kaazi, Priyanka Bala, Sonam Yadav, Jintimani Kalita, Neelam Bisht
Gujarat Giants: Ashleigh Gardner, Beth Mooney (c), Sophie Dunkley, Anna Sutherland, Harleen Deol, Deandra Dottin, Sneh Rana, S Meghana, Georgia Wareham, Mansi Joshi, D Hemalatha, Monica Patel, Tanuja Kanwer, Sushma Verma, Hurley Gala, Ashwani Kumari, Parunika Sisodia, Shabnam Shakil
Players to watch
Harmanpreet Kaur:
The captain of Mumbai Indians will be expected to lead from the front. She is an experienced player and captain, having been appointed as the Indian T20I captain since 2018. She is a right-handed middle-order bat and can taken any opposition to the cleaners. Besides her batting, she can bowl a bit of off-spin.
Natalie Sciver-Brunt:
The vice-captain of England was recently named the captain of the ICC Women’s World T20 team of the tournament. She is a prolific right-handed middle-order batter and a right-arm seamer. She can play all around the park and has innovative shots, including “Natmeg” in her repertoire. She will be pivotal to Mumbai Indians’ success.
Ashleigh Gardner:
The dashing all-rounder of Australia is ranked number in the ICC Women’s T20I rankings in the all-rounder category. She is a hard-hitting right-handed middle-order batter who can tonk the ball to any part of the ground. She is a handy off-spinner who can open the bowling and bowl in the death overs.
Beth Mooney:
The captain of Gujarat Giants is ranked number two in the ICC Women’s T20I batting category. The left-handed opening batter from Australia is a treat to watch. The southpaw can pace her innings well and single-handedly win matches for her team. It will be interesting to see her leadership skills in the WPL.
Pitch
The venue has hosted a couple of women’s T20Is to date. Both games have been high-scoring, with nearly 350 runs being scored in either. Expect a fresh surface that will assist the batters and produce plenty of runs. A run feast could be on the cards. In the latter half of the game, there could be dew which could make bowling difficult, especially for the spinners.
Weather
The weather is expected to be clear and warm. The maximum temperature attained during the day will be 28 degrees Celsius. There will be a zero percent cloud cover and a zero percent chance of rain. The wind will blow from the southwest.
Fantasy Playing XI
Beth Mooney, Chloe Tryon, Harmanpreet Kaur, Sophia Dunkley, Amelia Kerr, Ashleigh Gardner, Hayley Matthews, Natalie Sciver-Brunt, Georgia Wareham, Heather Graham, Pooja Vastrakar
Match details
Date: March 4, 2023
Time: 7.30 PM IST
Venue: DY Patil Cricket Stadium, Mumbai
Live streaming: Sports18 Network, Jio Cinema
Follow Female Cricket on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news and updates
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.