Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will be locking horns with UP Warriorz in Match 8 of the ongoing Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2023. The match will be played at the Brabourne Stadium and is slated to kick-start from 7:30 PM (IST).
Bangalore have got off to the worst start possible. They have lost their first 3 games and are presently holding the wooden spoon in the table. The Smriti Mandhana led side would be hoping to exorcise the demons of the first 3 games and rack up their first win of WPL 2023.
UP Warriorz on the other hand have managed to win 1 game out of their initial 2 games. They are coming on the back of a heavy 42-run loss against Delhi Capitals and would be hoping to get back to winning ways.
Smriti Mandhana has been disappointing with her captaincy so far
Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Smriti Mandhana was the most expensive player in the WPL 2023 auctions. She was bought for a whopping Rs. 3.4 crores and she was made the skipper of the franchise.
But the elegant southpaw has been impressive with the bat or with her captaincy. Some of her team selection decisions have been baffling and her field placements haven’t been good.
South African all-format skipper Dane van Niekerk has been left out of the playing XI in all the 3 games. Disha Kasat was dropped after she failed to leave a mark in the first 2 games.
Tahlia McGrath scored an unbeaten 90* run knock in the previous game for UP Warriorz
Even though Tahlia McGrath scored a mind-boggling knock of 90* in just 50 deliveries, UP Warriorz went down in front of Delhi Capitals. The Australian’s knock was laced with 11 fours and 4 sixes and she was batting with a blistering strike-rate of 180.
She would definitely be a key batter in the batting ranks of UP Warriorz. McGrath is an important asset of skipper Alyssa Healy.
Predicted Playing XI
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Smriti Mandhana (c), Sophie Devine, Ellyse Perry, Richa Ghosh (wk), Heather Knight, Kanika Ahuja, Poonam Khemnar, Shreyanka Patil, Megan Schutt, Renuka Singh, Preeti Bose
UP Warriorz
Alyssa Healy (c) (wk), Shweta Sehrawat, Tahlia McGrath, Deepti Sharma, Devika Vaidya, Simran Shaikh, Grace Harris, Sophie Ecclestone, Anjali Sarvani, Rajeshwari Gayakwad
Squads
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Smriti Mandhana, Disha Kasat, Richa Ghosh, Indrani Roy, Sophie Devine, Ellyse Perry, Erin Burns, Shreyanka Patil, Kanika Ahuja, Asha Shobana, Heather Knight, Dane van Niekerk, Poonam Khemnar, Renuka Singh, Preeti Bose, Komal Zanzad, Megan Schutt, Sahana Pawar
UP Warriorz
Shweta Sehrawat, Kiran Navgire, Simran Shaikh, Sophie Ecclestone, Deepti Sharma, Tahlia McGrath, Parshavi Chopra, S Yashasri, Grace Harris, Devika Vaidya, Alyssa Healy, Laxmi Yadav, Shabnim Ismail, Anjali Sarvani, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Lauren Bell
Also read: WPL 2023: Who Is Shreyanka Patil? All-rounder Who Played Well For RCB
