RCB seek return to winning ways against wounded Mumbai Indians

The last outing for the Royal Challengers Bangalore Women didn’t really pan out in favour of Smriti Mandhana and company despite the best of efforts as they fell to a 25-run loss against the Delhi Capitals. The captain led from the very front but was eventually denied a shy at glory in the latter half of the contest.

As for RCB’s opponents for today, Mumbai Indians, the one defeat for them that came in their last match against the UP Warriorz has condemned them to the fourth spot of the points table while RCB-W remain in the second position. All the teams so far except UP Warriorz and Gujarat Giants have lost one game each and that keeps the table heavily open.

A win for RCB-W will propel them to the top of the points table and make the path for Mumbai Indians a lot more difficult while a victory for the Mumbai Indians will completely change the course of the table. Amidst such heavy discussions, it is going to be an intriguing aspect to see whether Ellyse Perry will be back in the mix or not as she was ruled out with sickness in the last game.

Mumbai Indians will be coming to this contest with full strength and will definitely be hopeful of returning to winning ways. No matter the consequence, this contest itself will be an absolute blockbuster given the two powerhouses in women’s cricket come face to face with each other.

Key player battles:

Smriti Mandhana vs Nat Sciver-Brunt

Two known faces in the international circuit, two known foes will once again be colliding head-on with each other. Mandhana has been in fine touch in the ongoing tournament after getting off to a flyer in the second game against Gujarat Giants blasting 43 while following that up with a reckoning 74. Nat’s returns with the bat may have been on the modest side this year but her haul of three wickets laced with years of experience makes her a reckoning contender against the RCB-W captain.

Sabbhineni Meghana vs Saika Ishaque

Meghana’s dream form in this year’s WPL has proven to be the life and blood of the RCB-W engine room. Her knocks of 53, 36* and 36 have provided RCB the kind of platform that they needed for a late flourish. More importantly she has been a part of few crucial partnerships which have been essential for the first two wins for Mandhana and company. Ishaque is yet to register a wicket in this year’s WPL but then knowing the slow left-arm orthodox Saika, she can be a nightmare on any given day, leaving the opposition in utter agony.

Renuka Singh vs Hayley Matthews

Renuka had a reticent outing against the Delhi Capitals but then the kind of swing that she has been emanating off late, a performance that skittled out the top-order of Gujarat Giants, will obviously make her a bowling spearhead. Despite a slow start, Matthews regained her form in the last match against UP Women with a solid 55. Her all-round ability makes her a rock at the top but Renuka is well-known for being the wrecking crew too.

Match Details:

Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Mumbai Indians

Venue: M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru

Date: 2nd March, 2023

Time: 7:30 PM IST

Squads:

Royal Challengers Bangalore:

Asha Shobana, Disha Kasat, Ellyse Perry*, Indrani Roy, Shradda Pokharkar, Renuka Singh, Richa Ghosh, Shreyanka Patil, Smriti Mandhana (C), Sophie Devine*, Georgia Wareham*, Kate Cross*, Ekta Bisht, Shubha Satheesh, S Meghana, Simran Bahadur, Sophie Molineux*, Nadine de Klerk*

Mumbai Indians:

Yastika Bhatia(w), Hayley Matthews, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Harmanpreet Kaur(c), Amelia Kerr, Pooja Vastrakar, Amanjot Kaur, S Sajana, Shabnim Ismail, Keerthana Balakrishnan, Saika Ishaque, Chloe Tryon, Fatima Jaffer, Issy Wong, Humaira Kazi, Jintimani Kalita, Priyanka Bala, Amandeep Kaur