He WPL 2024 began on February 23 with Mumbai Indians Women and Delhi Capitals Women as campaign openers. The second match will now be between RCB-W vs UP-W. This is the first match for both teams in the new campaign.
Date and place
The WPL 2024 match between RCB-W and UP-W will be played at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on February 24. The match starts at 7:30 pm IST. The first 13 matches of the season will be played in Bengaluru. Delhi hosts the remaining matches of the season, including the Playoff and the final, on March 17.
Team Analysis: RCB-W vs UP-W Match Preview: WPL 2024, Match 2
Royal Challengers Bangalore Women
The team will be led by Smriti Mandhana, who was the most expensive player in WPL 2023. The franchise finished fourth in the points table and won only two matches last season. This season they have another chance to start over and come back strong. The franchise bought up to seven players in the WPL auction, adding some more strength abroad.
Among the new players added were England pacer Kate Cross, Australian all-rounder Georgia Wareham, Indian spinner Ekta Bisht, Indian all-rounder Simran Bahadur and Australian left-arm spinner Sophie Molineux. So, this time they have strengthened their bowling around some renowned Australian bowlers.
The core of the team largely revolves around players like Smriti Mandhana, Elysse Perry, Sophie Devine and Shriyanka Patil, the players who played for the team in the last season. Smriti Mandhana had a very tough season with the bat and the RCB captain would love to turn things around with the bat. She has a lot of leadership experience to draw on and the addition of new players will give the team hope.
RCB Women Squad
Smriti Mandhana (C), Asha Shobana, Disha Kasat, Ellyse Perry, Nadine de Klerk, Indrani Roy, Shradda Pokharkar, Renuka Singh, Richa Ghosh, Shreyanka Patil, Sophie Devine, Georgia Wareham, Kate Cross, Ekta Bisht, Shubha Satheesh, S Meghana, Simran Bahadur, Sophie Molineux
UP Warriorz Women
The team will be led by Australian women’s team captain Alyssa Healy. She is a very experienced player and she helped lead the team to the playoffs. Healy finished the season with 253 runs at an average of 31.62.
After last year’s WPC auction, he spoke very positively about the team. The new players added were Dani Wyatt – 20 Lakhs, Vrinda Dinesh – 1.3 Cr, Saima Thakor – 10 Lakhs and Poonam Khemnar – 10 Lakhs. Indian batter Vrinda Dinesh was one of the most expensive players in this WPL. The strength of the UP Warriorz team is its spinning trio Deepti Sharma, Rajeshwari Gayakwad and English spinner Sophie Ecclestone. Along with Healy, Tahila McGrath and Grace Harris are the key hitters.
UP Warriorz Women’s Team
Alyssa Healy, Anjali Sarvani, Deepti Sharma, Grace Harris, Kiran Navgire, Lauren Bell, Laxmi Yadav, Parshavi Chopra, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, S. Yashasri, Shweta Sehrawat, Sophie Ecclestone, Tahlia McGrath, Dani Wyatt, Vrinda Dinesh, Saima Thakor, Poonam Khemnar, Gouher Sultana
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Key battles
Smriti Mandhana vs. Deepti Sharma
Key Indian players will face each other from the beginning of the tournament. Mandhaha has regularly faced Deepti in the nets of the Indian women’s cricket team’s practice sessions and they know each other’s strengths and weaknesses very well.
Alyssa Healy vs. Ellyse Perry
A delightful Australian battle is on the cards as Healy takes on Perry. Both hail from Australia and, characteristically, Healy always has something to say to key opposition players. Perry will also have to contend with Healy’s music when she comes out to bat.
Key players. Main players
For RCB-W, captain Smriti Mandhana, Sophie Devine and Elysse Perry will be the key players with the bat. With the ball, all-rounders Georgia Wareham, Heather Knight, Simran Bahadur and Sophie Molineux will be the key players.
For UP Warriorz, captain Alyssa Healy will have to play an important role with the bat throughout the season. Along with her, the other key players will be Deepti Sharma, Grace Harris, Sophie Ecclestone, Tahlia McGrath and Vrinda Dinesh.
Climate and tone
The Chinnaswamy Stadium pitch in Bengaluru has been a batting-friendly ground in T20Is. He will stay true to his nature throughout the 40 overs. Scores of over 200 have been regularly posted and chased in the IPL. This game could also be a high scoring contest.
Rain has been a problem in the night matches in Bengaluru. However, on Saturday the weather conditions should be pleasant for cricket. The temperature will be around 25 degrees with clear skies. There is no rain forecast.
Conclusion
RCBW and UP-W are two good teams and they have become even stronger after getting quality players in the WPL 2024 auction. We are in for a good match between two good teams with defining captains.
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