The sixth match of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) will be played between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Gujarat Giants at the Brabourne Stadium on March 8. The game will begin at 7.30 PM IST.
It will be the third game for both teams. RCB and GG have lost their previous two fixtures. While RCB went down to Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals, GG suffered defeats from UP Warriorz and Mumbai Indians.
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
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
Smriti Mandhana:
The captain of Royal Challengers Bangalore got the team to a brisk start with her 17-ball 23 against Mumbai Indians in the last match. The left-handed opening batter smashed five boundaries and stitched a 39-run partnership before RCB lost four quick wickets for four runs.
Richa Ghosh:
The wicket-keeper and right-handed middle-order batter of Royal Challengers Bangalore top-scored with a 26-ball 28 in her last outing against Mumbai Indians. She hammered three fours and a six in her innings. She will be expected to play the role of a finisher in this tournament.
Harleen Deol:
Gujarat Giants’ right-handed top-order batter starred with the bat in her last appearance against UP Warriorz. She scored 46 off 32, including seven hits to the fence. She came into bat in the fourth over and was there till the 18th.
Kim Garth:
The right-arm speedster of Gujarat Giants wreaked havoc with the ball in her last game against UP Warriorz. She opened the bowling and scalped 5/36 in four overs. She bowled well with the new ball, striking thrice in the third over.
Pitch
It will be the third match of the tournament at the venue. The teams batting first and second have won one game each. Both the fixtures were high-scoring affairs. The surface is excellent for batting. Expect another run feast.
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 south.
Fantasy Playing XI
Richa Ghosh, Heather Knight, Smriti Mandhana, Sophie Devine, Harleen Deol, Kim Garth, Sneh Rana, Ashleigh Gardner, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Georgia Wareham
Match details
Date: March 8, 2023
Time: 7.30 PM IST
Venue: Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai
Live streaming: Sports18 Network, Jio Cinema
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.