Smriti Mandhana-led RCB hope to secure their maiden WPL win as Gujarat Giants come knocking

Despite a couple of bumpy starts, the Royal Challengers Bangalore will look to put their best foot forward when they face off against the Gujarat Giants in their third contest of WPL 2023. With a misfiring bowling unit as their biggest challenge, RCB will hope for a quick reversal of fortunes. 

Taking the lessons from their first two games, the Challengers will hope to get things going their way, particularly with the cherry in their hands as they have leaked runs while picking only three wickets from their first two games. More importantly in both the fixtures, the runs that have been scored against them have come at a run rate north of 10.

The RCB batters have also got starts across both matches but they will need to find a way for at least one or two of them to stick around and put up a big score. With the firepower of Smriti Mandhana, Sophie Devine, Ellyse Perry and Heather Knight to bank on, RCB will hope for one of their stars to put on a formidable show.

On the bowling front, Renuka Thakur will need to unleash the swing bowling that she’s known for and trouble the Gujarat batters. She’ll also need support from senior pacer Megan Schutt, who’s done a good job with the bat but has not been impactful with the ball.

Gujarat Giants have also had a poor start to their WPL 2023 campaign with two losses on the trot and they are currently at the bottom of the points table. Their batters put up a much better show that was decently complemented by their bowlers but the early display of excellence couldn’t get through the challenge posed by Grace Harris and Sophie Ecclestone towards the end in their battle against the Warriorz.

Considering the urgency of the situation, both sides will be desperate to get their first win, if they are to stay in the hunt, given the marathon stance of the league.

Key player battles:

Smriti Mandhana vs Kim Garth

Smriti Mandhana has gotten off to a couple of decent starts but so far, she has failed to convert them into big knocks. Smriti will drive in confidence from her starts that have come with some sumptuous boundaries, but she will hope to score a lot more with the Giants’ bowling coming up against her. Her biggest challenge could likely be pacer Kim Garth, who troubled the UP batters with pace and swing with the new ball and even notched up a 5-wicket haul.

Ellyse Perry vs Ashleigh Gardner

Both match-winners in their own right, Perry and Gardner’s mini battle could define the outcome of this RCB vs GG clash. Both fabulous middle-order batters who can hit the long ball to good effect, the Australians will want to get rid of one another with the ball to give their sides an advantage in the match.

Megan Schutt vs Sneh Rana

Two players with immense potential, Schutt and Rana are yet to hit their full potential, specifically with the ball. Megan will want to deliver with the ball and stop Rana from scoring some quick runs at the death, while Rana will need to step up and deliver for her team.

Match Details:

Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Gujarat Giants

Venue: Brabourne Stadium

Date: 8th March, 2023

Time: 7:30 PM IST

Squads:

Royal Challengers Bangalore:

Smriti Mandhana (C), Sophie Devine, Ellyse Perry, Renuka Singh, Richa Ghosh, Erin Burns, Disha Kasat, Indrani Roy, Shreyanka Patil, Kanika Ahuja, Asha Shobana, Heather Knight, Dane van Niekerk, Preeti Bose, Poonam Khemnar, Komal Zanzad, Megan Schutt, Sahana Pawar

Gujarat Giants:

Beth Mooney (c), Ashleigh Gardner, Sophia Dunkley, Annabelle Sutherland, Harleen Deol, S. Meghana, Georgia Wareham, Mansi Joshi, D. Hemlatha, Monica Patel, Tanuja Kanwer, Sneh Rana (vc), Sushma Verma, Hurley Gala, Ashwani Kumari, Parunika Sisodia, Shabnam MD, Kim Garth.