The third and final league match of the Women’s T20 Challenge will be played on May 26 between Velocity and Trailblazers at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune.
Match Preview – Match 3 preview: Velocity v Trailblazers
Head to Head
Two matches have been played between them with both the teams winning one each.
Squads
Velocity: Deepti Sharma (c), Sneh Rana (VC), Shafali Verma, Ayabonga Khaka, KP Navgire, Kathryn Cross, Keerthi James, Laura Wolvaardt, Maya Sonawane, Natthakan Chantham, Radha Yadav, Aarti Kedar, Shivali Shinde, Simran Bahadur, Yastika Bhatia, Pranavi Chandra
Trailblazers: Smriti Mandhana (c), Poonam Yadav (vc), Arundhati Reddy, Hayley Matthews, Jemimah Rodrigues, Priyanka Priyadarshini, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Renuka Singh, Richa Ghosh, S Meghana, Saiqa Ishaque, Salma Khatun, Sharmin Akhter, Sophia Dunkley, Sujata Mallik, Shraddha Pokharkar.
Players to watch out for
Laura Wolvaardt:
The right-handed opening batter from South Africa led the run chase from the front for Velocity in her last match against Supernovas, batting in the middle order. She muscled an unbeaten 51 off 35 balls, including seven boundaries and a six to steer her side to a seven-wicket win chasing 151.
Kate Cross:
The right-arm English speedster was the pick of the bowlers for Velocity in her last outing against Supernovas. Opening the bowling she scalped 2-24 in her four overs. She was also the most economical bowler and bowled a dozen dot balls.
Smriti Mandhana:
The captain of Trailblazers top scored with 34 runs off 23 balls, including four boundaries in her last match against Supernovas. The left-handed opening batter set the tone for the run chase however failed to see her side home.
Hayley Matthews:
The star all-rounder from West Indies made useful contributions with bat and ball for Trailblazers in her last outing against Supernovas. The off spinner claimed 3-29 in four overs and with the bat mustered 18 runs off 14 balls, opening the batting.
Match Day!
Velocity meet Trailblazers at 7.30 PM IST today.
Which 2 teams will progress into the Finals? #CricketTwitter #WomensT20Challenge pic.twitter.com/pXrD2j4QOL
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) May 26, 2022
Pitch
In the two matches that have been played at this venue, the wicket has assisted the batters. The average first inning score in this year’s Women’s T20 Challenge is 157 and the average second innings score is 133. There is not much for the bowlers however they will be required to be consistent to yield rich dividends.
Weather
The weather is expected to be partly cloudy and warm. The average temperature will be around 26 degrees Celsius. The expected cloud cover will be 11 percent with just a two percent chance of rain. The wind will blow from the west.
Fantasy Playing XI
Yastika Bhatia, Laura Wolvaardt, Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Hayley Matthews, Deepti Sharma, Kate Cross, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Ayabonga Khaka, Maya Sonawane
Match details
Date: May 26, 2022
Time: 7.30 pm IST
Venue: Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune
Live streaming: Disney+Hotstar, Star Sports
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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.