Know your challengers: A glimpse at RCB’s probable middle-order for WPL 2023

After what was a buzzing day at the JIO Convention Centre for the RCB management that thrilled the RCB fans to the extremes, they landed some big names in the ranks. From what one can conclude as somewhat of a brilliant auction for the Royal Challengers, they mixed experience and youth in the perfect proportions to add some mighty shine to their already hallowed echelons.

In this story we will be taking a detailed look at what can be RCB’s probable middle-order for the upcoming edition of the WPL that would be the crux of all the glitz and glam that the fans are hoping to be knitted together by the Challengers.

1.    Ellyse Perry

You talk about experience, you talk about flair in the all-round department and you talk about strikes that would leave you baffled inside out, you are talking about the Australian icon, Ellyse Perry. The ‘Elite’ Ellyse is known for her terrific striking skills combined in perfect proportions with her stringent line and length that can leave any batter in some serious discomfort. From the 134 T20Is that she has so far been a part of, she has racked up 1515 runs at a stunning average of 31.56 and a breezy strike rate of 111.97. She has also scalped 120 wickets at an economy rate of 5.84 and a bowling average of 18.99 that also stars 4 four-fers.

2.    Heather Knight

When you need a reliable name in the middle-order to deliver the payload for you, freely or maybe even under some serious pump, Heather Knight is the perfect pick. The first woman to score a century in all formats of the game and someone with a boatload of cricketing experience, Knight has amassed 1520 runs from 95 T20I fixtures so far laced with 21 wickets at a decent economy rate of 5.81. She is one of those explosive sentinels who can blaze away at will and most importantly hold on to the innings with panache when her team needs her to.

3.    Dane van Niekerk

Former South African captain who is known for cooking up a storm in a tea cup and taking the bowlers by the scruff of their neck, DVN is an explosive batter who can get the wheels rolling emphatically whenever she is in the middle. With 1877 international runs in the shortest format of the game and 65 scalps, she brings in a prized brand of cricket to the platter. Not only does she provide the reliability in the center but if her team needs her to deliver, she can storm through the bowlers in the dying end of an innings considering her hard-hitting prowess.

4.    Richa Ghosh

Richa Ghosh is the new name of terror in women’s cricket who smoked the reckoning Aussie bowlers emphatically a couple of months ago in Mumbai, the same city which is set to host the inaugural WPL season next month. Not only is she a thorn in the flesh of the bowlers but her ability to deliver the payload handsomely in a clutch situation makes her a priceless asset to any T20 team. She played an instrumental role in India’s win in their T20 World Cup opener against Pakistan to see off what went down as the second highest successful chase in the antiquity of the Women’s T20 World Cup.

5.    Indrani Roy

An unheralded name but a reliable gloves-woman in the domestic circuit, Indrani Roy can get some crucial runs added to the total. She has a knack for showcasing her exquisite set of strokes and is a pretty decent contender behind the stumps that provides stability when the spinners are in action, and adequate back up to Rich Ghosh.

6.    Erin Burns

Even though she has made more fame being the impeccable bowler that she is, her batting prowess is equally adept and she can totally turn the game on its head. Her recent scores of 87 and 74 preceded by a swashbuckling display in the recently concluded WBBL is a blazing testimony to the kind of pyrotechnics that Burns brings to the platter. She is an economical bowler and can also prise out a couple of important wickets in the middle-overs that imparts a crucial edge to the team that she is playing for. 

7.    Poonam Khemnar

Even though Poonam hasn’t been a part of a competitive game for a while now, her latest exploits will leave you pretty much in envy of the fiery striker of the ball that she is. In her last 3 knocks, she has knitted together 32, 29* and 91* coupled with a handful of sumptuous displays with the cherry in her hand that saw her racking up figures of 3 for 19, 3 for 20 and 2 for 21. She is not one of those feather shufflers that you want in your side, but she brings the mean face to the middle-order and can move some serious load too.