The seventh match of the third edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) promises a thrilling showdown between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Mumbai Indians (MI) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, on February 21 at 7:30 PM IST. Notably, this will be the first match of the season hosted in Bengaluru.
Defending champions RCB have begun their campaign on a strong note, securing victories over Gujarat Giants and Delhi Capitals. Meanwhile, MI suffered a last-ball defeat against Delhi Capitals but bounced back convincingly with a dominant win over Gujarat Giants.
Squads:
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Smriti Mandhana (C), Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Sabbineni Meghana, Nuzhat Parween, Charlie Dean, Ellyse Perry, Georgia Wareham, Heather Graham, Joshitha V J, Kanika Ahuja, Kim Garth, Prema Rawat, Raghvi Bist, Sneh Rana, Richa Ghosh, Ekta Bisht, Jagravi Pawar, Renuka Singh Thakur
Mumbai Indians
Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Akshita Maheshwari, Parunika Sisodia, Amandeep Kaur, Hayley Matthews, Saika Ishaque, Amanjot Kaur, Jintimani Kalita, Sajeevan Sajana, Amelia Kerr, Keerthana Balakrishnan, Sanskriti Gupta, Chloe Tryon, Nadine De Klerk, Shabnim Ismail, G Kamalini, Natalie Sciver-Brunt, Yastika Bhatia
Players to watch out:
Danni Wyatt-Hodge
The 33-year-old English batter has played 170 T20Is for England, amassing 3,190 runs, with the highest score of 124. She made her WPL debut against Gujarat Giants but had an underwhelming start, scoring just 4 runs. However, she made a strong comeback against Delhi Capitals, scoring 42 off 33 balls in a crucial 107-run partnership with Smriti Mandhana.
Ekta Bisht
A 39-year-old Indian veteran, she holds the distinction of being India’s first bowler to take a hat-trick in T20Is. In 42 T20Is, she has scalped 53 wickets, with the best of 4/21. After missing RCB’s opening match, she grabbed the opportunity against Delhi Capitals, picking up 2 wickets for 35 runs in 2 overs.
Yastika Bhatia
The 24-year-old wicketkeeper-batter recently returned from injury. In 20 WPL matches, she has accumulated 437 runs, with the highest score of 57. She has also taken 10 catches and executed 12 stumpings. However, her form in WPL 2025 has been underwhelming so far, with scores of 11 and 8 in the first two matches.
Hayley Matthews
The 26-year-old West Indian all-rounder has been a consistent performer in the WPL, scoring 468 runs in 21 matches, with the highest score of 77*, and picking up 28 wickets, with best figures of 3/5. In MI’s last match against Gujarat Giants, she delivered a match-winning spell of 3/16.
Pitch:
The M. Chinnaswamy Stadium pitch is known for its batting-friendly surface, with spinners finding some assistance. The average innings score is 166, and teams winning the toss often prefer to bowl first.
Weather:
Bengaluru is expected to have clear skies, with temperatures ranging from 32°C during the day to 19°C at night. Humidity levels will be around 59%, with winds blowing at 14 kph.
Fantasy Playing XI:
Richa Ghosh, Smriti Mandhana, Ellyse Perry, Harmanpreet Kaur, Natalie Sciver-Brunt, Amelia Kerr, Hayley Matthews, Georgia Wareham, Renuka Singh Thakur, Shabnim Ismail, Kim Garth
Match details:
Date: February 21, 2025
Time: 7:30 PM IST
Venue: M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
Broadcast: Live streaming on Jio Hotstar; Telecast on Star Sports Network
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