Defending champions Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore will face off in the 2024 Women’s Premier League (WPL) Eliminator on the 15th of March, 2024. The game will be played at Shri Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi, and kicks off at 7:30 PM Indian Standard Time (IST).
In their respective 8 league games, while Mumbai won 5 and lost three, the Challengers won 4 and lost as many. Notably, both teams have won and lost a couple of games each of their previous 4.
Squads:
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*
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*
Players to watch out:
Amelia Kerr
The 23-year-old all-rounder has accumulated 188 runs at a strike rate of 133.33 and also picked up 7 wickets from 8 WPL appearances this edition. While Amelia has been in decent form with the bat, she has had a hard time with the ball, especially in the Delhi leg, going wicketless in 4 straight outings. For a ticket to the Final, she’ll be backed to step up with an all-round effort.
Shabnim Ismail
The 35-year-old pacer, averaging 17.87 and maintaining an economy rate of 5.95, has bagged 8 wickets from 6 WPL outings this season. Bowling in rhythm with pace and control, Shabnim has emerged as a game-changer for Mumbai, producing breakthroughs. Her previous 3 bowling figures read 1/6 (4), 1/30 (4), and 1/19 (4), and it’ll be expected that she carries forward this momentum into the knockouts.
Ellyse Perry
The 33-year-old all-rounder has been in outstanding form this WPL, amassing 246 runs at a strike rate of 130.15 from 7 outings, while also taking 6 wickets, all in her most recent inning, finishing on figures of 6/15. Ellyse has put up consecutive scores of 44*, 58, 24, 49*, and 40 in her previous innings, and for the team to make it to their first-ever WPL final, she’ll be relied upon for the goods.
Georgia Wareham
The 24-year-old bowling all-rounder, this WPL, from 5 innings has chipped in, scoring 93 runs and claimed 6 wickets from 8 outings. Georgia has managed a couple of good scores with the bat, and her contributions lower down the order will be crucial. With the ball, she has been effective and amongst wickets but finished wicketless in her previous outings and will want to find form.
Pitch:
The 22-yard strip at Shri Arun Jaitley Stadium has been favorable for batting, as evident from high-scoring matches at the venue. However, while it primarily benefits the batters, bowlers can also exploit the conditions to their advantage.
Weather:
The conditions at Delhi are forecasted to be clear and pleasant for cricket, promising a complete game. The temperature is expected to hover around 22°C, with light winds and humidity of 33%.
Fantasy playing XI:
Yastika Bhatia, Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Ellyse Perry, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Amelia Kerr, Hayley Matthews, Sophie Devine, Georgia Wareham, Saika Ishaque, Shabnim Ismail
Match details:
Date – March 15, 2024
Time – 7:30 PM IST
Venue – Shri Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
Broadcast – The game will be live-streamed on Jio Cinema and telecasted on Sports18.