Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians will go head-to-head in match no. 9 of the ongoing 02 edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL). The game will be played at Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore, on the 2nd of March, 2024, at 7:30 PM Indian Standard Time (IST).
The defending champions, Mumbai Indians, and the resurgent Royal Challengers Bangalore both remained unbeaten after two games, but while UP Warriorz outshone Mumbai, Delhi had the better of Bangalore in a high-scoring run fest. With these titans set to clash, we are in for another thriller, adding to the excitement of the tournament thus far.
Squads:
Royal Challengers Bangalore – Smriti Mandhana (C), Ekta Bisht, Georgia Wareham*, Shreyanka Patil, Sophie Molineux*, Shradda Pokharkar, Richa Ghosh, Kate Cross*, Nadine de Klerk*, Shubha Satheesh, Sabbhineni Meghana, Indrani Roy, Asha Shobana, Ellyse Perry*, Simran Dil Bahadur, Disha Kasat, Renuka Singh Thakur, Sophie Devine*
Mumbai Indians – Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Yastika Bhatia, Hayley Matthews*, Fatima Jaffer, Shabnim Ismail*, Issy Wong*, Amandeep Kaur, Saika Ishaque, Priyanka Bala, Humaira Kazi, Amelia Kerr*, Sathyamoorthy Balakrishnan Keerthana, Sajeevan Sajana, Pooja Vastrakar, Nat Sciver-Brunt*, Jintimani Kalita, Amanjot Kaur, Chloe Tryon*
Players to watch out:
Sabbhineni Meghana
The 27-year-old batter wasn’t retained by the Gujarat Giants following an 81-run season last year and was roped in by the Challengers in the auction. Sabbhineni was in decent form in the lead-up to the WPL and has done well to translate that form, registering successive scores of 56, 36*, and 36. It’ll be expected of the seasoned campaigner to capitalize on this form, leading the scoring.
Ellyse Perry
The 33-year-old all-rounder from 8 WPL outings last season amassed 253 runs and struck 4 wickets, with respective bests of 67* and 3/16. Ellyse has struggled to convert her starts and also to be amongst wickets lately. However, she has been striking well in this tournament, scoring a fine 23* in her most recent game. She’ll be relied upon to step up with both bat and ball.
Hayley Matthews
The 25-year-old all-rounder, striking at 126.04, registered 271 runs while also claiming 16 wickets, maintaining an economy rate of 5.94. Hayley’s extraordinary form continued until October last year, but since then hasn’t been consistent. Nonetheless, following a quiet start to this WPL campaign, she notched up a solid 55 in her most recent outing and can be counted on for the goods.
Saika Ishaque
The 28-year-old left-arm spinner scalped 15 wickets, including the best of 4/11, from 10 WPL appearances and continuing her outstanding form in this domestic season, bagged 25 wickets from 13 T20 games. However, Saika has been wicketless this WPL season from 3 games, sending down only 5 overs. It’ll be hoped she’s backed and returns to bowling at her absolute best.
Pitch:
The Chinnaswamy Stadium dishes out well-balanced wickets, ones that cater to both batters and bowlers. While bowlers, especially pacers, benefit from the swing on offer, the smaller ground dimensions favor batters, promising a competitive game.
Weather:
The conditions are pleasant for a complete game of cricket at the Chinnaswamy Stadium with minimal chances of rain. The temperature is forecasted to be around 26°C with light winds and humidity at 33%.
Fantasy playing XI:
Richa Ghosh, Yastika Bhatia, Smriti Mandhana, Sophie Devine, Hayley Matthews, Amelia Kerr, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Georgia Wareham, Shreyanka Patil, Shabnim Ismail, Saika Ishaque
Match details:
Date – March 2, 2024
Time – 7:30 PM IST
Venue – Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
Broadcast – The game will be live-streamed on Jio Cinema and telecasted on Sports18.