The second match of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) will be played between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Capitals at the Brabourne Stadium on March 5. The game will begin at 3.30 PM IST.
Squads
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Smriti Mandhana (c), Sophie Devine, Ellyse Perry, Renuka Singh Thakur, Richa Ghosh, Erin Burns, Disha Kasat, Indrani Roy, Shreyanka Patil, Kanika Ahuja, Asha Shobana, Heather Knight, Dane van Niekerk, Preeti Bose, Poonam Khemnar, Komal Zanzad, Meghan Schutt, Sahana Pawar
Delhi Capitals: Jemimah Rodrigues, Meg Lanning (c), Shafali Verma, Radha Yadav, Shikha Pandey, Marizanne Kapp, Titas Sadhu, Alice Capsey, Tara Norris, Laura Harris, Jasia Akhter, Minnu Man, Taniya Bhatia, Poonam Yadav, Jess Jonassen, Sneha Deepthi, Arundhati Reddy, Aparna Mandal
Players to watch
Smriti Mandhana:
The captain of Royal Challengers Bangalore is a stylish left-handed opening batter. She has been a prolific batter for India over the years, and RCB will expect their skipper to lead from the front. She has almost all the shots in the book, and watching when she is in rhythm is a treat.
Ellyse Perry:
The star Australian all-rounder will be a vital cog in the Royal Challengers Bangalore line-up. She can bat, can bowl, and is excellent on the field. She can win games single-handedly with any of her skills. Her experience of winning multiple T20 World Cups will be handy for the RCB team.
Meg Lanning:
The skipper of Delhi Capitals knows how to win big matches. She will be expected to carry the winning momentum from the recently concluded ICC Women’s World T20. She is a solid right-handed top-order batter and can pace her innings well.
Jess Jonassen:
The wily left-arm spinner of Australia is one of the most experienced bowlers in the Delhi Capitals line up. She is an attacking bowler with an uncanny ability to pick crucial wickets. She can open the bowling and bowl in the death overs.
Pitch
The venue has hosted 10 women’s T20Is to date. The teams batting first and second have won five games each. The highest total scored is 209, and the lowest is 96. Expect a new surface to aid the batters and yield plenty of runs. A high-scoring contest could be on the cards.
Weather
The weather is expected to be hot with hazy sunshine. The maximum temperature attained during the day will be 37 degrees Celsius. There will be a 31 percent cloud cover and a zero percent chance of rain. The wind will blow from the southwest.
Fantasy Playing XI
Richa Ghosh, Jemimah Rodrigues, Meg Lanning, Smriti Mandhana, Sophie Devine, Ellyse Perry, Marizanne Kapp, Shafali Verma, Jess Jonassen, Megan Schutt, Renuka Singh Thakur
Match details
Date: March 5, 2023
Time: 3.30 PM IST
Venue: Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai
Live streaming: Sports18 Network, Jio Cinema
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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.