Royal Challengers Bangalore takes on UP Warriorz in a must-win clash for both teams to get their Women’s Premier League campaigns in order. Here’s everything you need to know ahead of this game: from their current form and key players to important match-ups from the fixture:
FORM SO FAR:
RCB has lost all three games so far. It went down to Delhi Capitals by 60 runs, was outclassed by Mumbai Indians in its second game by nine wickets and lost its third game against Gujarat Giants, one it should have won, by 11 runs [report].
UPW has a win and a loss in the two games it has played so far. Grace Harris’ refusal to let momentum die down (report) helped UP snatch a three-wicket win from the jaws of defeat in the opener against the Giants. The side couldn’t replicate that spunk in the second fixture against DC despite Tahlia McGrath’s defiant unbeaten 90, falling to a 42-run loss instead.
RCB is placed at the bottom of the table, while UPW is third after a win and loss.
PROBLEM AREAS:
RCB:
In all three games, RCB has been just short in almost every department. It has been a batter-friendly tournament so far, and bowlers have struggled with road-like pitches and the short boundaries at both venues. But RCB’s bowling has generally lacked bite. Heather Knight has brought breakthroughs, while Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt and Renuka Thakur - all ideally premier pace and swing options - have struggled to get a good rhythm going.
With the bat, while individual performances of note have cropped up here and there, be it Sophie Devine’s 60 against the Giants or Schutt applying herself with a 14-ball 20 vs MI and a 19-ball 30 vs DC, no one in the top or middle order has consistently carried an innings.
UPW:
An unsettled overseas contingent has been an issue for UP. But this problem is still one of picking the right contributor for a game among performing assets. That has, in many ways, taken the eyeballs away from the actual strugglers - Deepti Sharma and Shweta Sehrawat. With scores of 12(20) against DC and 11 (16) against the Giants and just two wickets in total so far, Deepti is far from the tournament-dominating allrounder she was touted to be ahead of the league. With her not being efficient with bat or ball, neither has Alyssa Healy been able to use her as a new ball bowler, a role in which she has done so well in India colours; nor has Deepti herself been able to be that bridge between the middle and lower order and keep the run rate healthy.
Sehrawat, the top runscorer in the U19 T20 World Cup, has been out of her depth facing some of the best capped players in the world. UP may be tempted to look for another option up top or even rejig the order to send Kiran Navgire alongside Healy, with Simran Shaikh moving up and perhaps Parshavi Chopra getting a game.
Harris coming back to the lineup is a no-brainer, given what RCB’s batting order is capable of. McGrath will need some power-hitting support and the brand of chutzpah the Australian brings to the table.
KEY CONTEST: Tale of the underperforming captains
The Smriti Mandhana vs Alyssa Healy contest. Both are opening batters and leading their respective sides but are yet to get off to flying starts. While Healy looks more comfortable, how they work on their game while leading their teams through uncertain times will make for an interesting watch.
KEY PLAYERS:
RCB: Shreyanka Patil - Patil has been clinical with the bat and shown promise with the ball for RCB with a four-ball 11 against Gujarat, where she also took two wickets and a 15-ball 23 against Mumbai Indians. RCB missed a trick by sending her down the order after Poonam Khemnar but seeing how innovative she is in crunch situations, it would be tempted to push her up to aid the middle order more.
UPW: Tahlia McGrath: If her 50-ball 90 is anything to go by, McGrath may well be on her way to rediscovering form and consistency with the bat. The UP lineup has often looked thin against opponents like DC and will need McGrath’s assured temperament and skill to steady the team in the middle overs. The Aussie has looked thoroughly off colour with the ball but given pitches are beginning to veer towards a dryer variety (no clarity if that will extend to the wicket at Brabourne though), McGrath finding success with the ball maybe what this scattered UP lineup needs.
Also read: MI vs DC, WPL 2023: How Mumbai Indians outsmarted Meg Lanning to beat Delhi Capitals
SQUADS:
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Smriti Mandhana(c), Sophie Devine, Ellyse Perry, Disha Kasat, Richa Ghosh(w), Heather Knight, Kanika Ahuja, Asha Shobana, Megan Schutt, Preeti Bose, Renuka Thakur Singh, Dane van Niekerk, Indrani Roy, Erin Burns, Poonam Khemnar, Sahana Pawar, Shreyanka Patil, Komal Zanzad
UP Warriorz: Alyssa Healy(w/c), Shweta Sehrawat, Kiran Navgire, Tahlia McGrath, Deepti Sharma, Devika Vaidya, Simran Shaikh, Sophie Ecclestone, Shabnim Ismail, Anjali Sarvani, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Grace Harris, Lauren Bell, Shivali Shinde, Parshavi Chopra, Soppadhandi Yashasri
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