WPL 2024: RCB, Smriti Mandhana look to shake off poor 2023 season, eye turnaround in marketing campaign opener vs UP Warriorz

Following a disappointing end, second from the underside, final season, Royal Challengers Bangalore, led by Smriti Mandhana, might be desperate to kick off the Women’s Premier League 2024 positively because it takes on UP Warriorz at its residence floor in Bengaluru’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday.

Mandhana, alongside the seasoned duo of Sophie Devine and Ellyse Perry, might be decided to place her powerful 2023 marketing campaign behind her, the place she solely managed 149 runs in eight matches with a median of 18.62.

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Devine, who was RCB’s prime scorer with 266 runs, will crew up with Mandhana for an efficient left-right opening mixture.

The highlight might be on native expertise Shubha Satheesh, who lately debuted for the Indian Test crew, and Meghana Sabbhineni within the prime order. While Meghana hasn’t performed any matches since her stint within the WPL final yr, Shubha, identified for her strong cricketing photographs, may play a stabilizing function within the line-up.

Perry may drop down from her standard place at No. 3 to strengthen the decrease order, supported by finishers Richa Ghosh and Disha Kasat. The bowling assault might be led by Shreyanka Patil, Renuka Thakur, and Kate Cross, with Shraddha Pokharkar stepping in as a substitute for the injured Kanika Ahuja.

Under the steering of recent coach Luke Willams, who has a profitable observe file within the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) with Adelaide Strikers, RCB holds the benefit, particularly with the help of the house crowd.

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On the opposite aspect, UP Warriorz, led by Alyssa Healy, brings a powerful cricketing acumen and an aggressive sport plan. Healy’s management and batting expertise will increase the arrogance of the customer.

Warriorz have the selection of choosing between Tahlia McGrath, Danielle Wyatt and Chamari Athapaththu to pair up with Healy, relying on whether or not they embrace Grace Harris within the taking part in XI.

Meanwhile, the Indian duo of Shweta Sehrawat and Kiran Navgire might be tasked with strengthening the middle-order. 

Newcomer Vrinda Dinesh (Rs. 1.3 crore), identified for her highly effective hitting, will look to capitalise on the brief sq. boundaries and be versatile within the line-up.

On the bowling entrance, Sophie Ecclestone, the top-ranked T20I bowler, will lead Warriorz’ assault, alongside Deepti Sharma. How they fare on a pitch that historically favours tempo over spin might be attention-grabbing to observe.