The RCB will kick off their 2024 WPL season with a match against UPW at the m Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday, February 24, in the presence of a passionate audience.
Regrettably, Bangalore had to make alterations to their personnel prior to the tournament. Heather Knight pulled out due to international obligations, and Nadine de Klerk was brought in as a substitute.
In the meantime, Shraddha Pokharkar took the place of Kanika Ahuja, who was unable to play due to a stress fracture.
RCB Team for the WPL 2024:
Asha Shobana, Disha Kasat, Elly Perry, Indrani Roy, Shradda Pokharkar, Renuka Singh, Richa Ghosh, Shreyanka Patil, Smriti Mandhana (c), Sophie Devine, Georgia Wareham, Kate Cross, Ekta Bisht, Shubha Satheesh, s Meghana, Simran Bahadur, Sophie Molineux, Nadine de Klerk.
Here is the lineup chosen by RCB for the second match of WPL 2024 against UPW.
Rewritten text: Smriti Mandhana (captain) and Sophie Devine as openers.
CB should maintain the identical opening combination for the WPL 2024.
Smriti Mandhana had a poor performance as a batsman in the first season, failing to score a single fifty and averaging below 20. Improvements will need to be made this time around.
Mandhana is accompanied by the formidable Sophie Devine, who may also be tasked with taking the new ball and creating breakthroughs during the power play. The experienced New Zealander will effortlessly adapt to the conditions at Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Middle lineup: Meghana, Ellyse Perry, Richa Ghosh (wicket-keeper), Nadine de Klerk, and Georgia Wareham.
RCB requires a domestic middle-order batsman to fill the gap left by Kanika’s retirement. Meghana, with her strong power play skills, could potentially outshine Disha Kasat. She previously opened the batting for Gujarat Giants (GG) in WPL 2023, but was able to move to the number 3 spot due to a solid opening partnership in Bangalore.
Ellyse Perry and Richa Ghosh will be the mainstays of the middle-order for RCB. These two players will have to shoulder the responsibility of scoring most of the runs in the absence of Knight and Kanika.
Nadine de Klerk and Kate Cross are competing to be the final overseas player on the team. This could be a challenging decision as Cross brings a strong bowling option and some batting skills.
Recently, de Klerk has been performing well, while Cross is not even considered for the T20I team for England. As a result, the South African player may be chosen to provide more batting options and diversity during the middle overs.
Georgia Wareham was a clever purchase from RCB during the WPL 2024 auction and was set to join the XI as a leg-spinner with batting abilities, making her a valuable addition to the team.
Rewritten text: Shreyanka Patil, Simran Dil Bahadur, Renuka Singh Thakur, and Ekta Bisht in descending order.
Shreyanka Patil and Renuka Singh Thakur will lead the Spin and Pace divisions. While Patil had a successful season in the WPL 2023, Thakur faced challenges in taking wickets and needs to improve this year.
Ekta Bisht is currently among the top left-handed players in Indian Cricket and is likely to earn Asha Shobana a spot in the XI. The experienced player may face difficulties at Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Simran Dil Bahadur, a player recently acquired by RCB during the auction, may be favored over Shraddha Pokharkar due to her impact. As an all-rounder, she deserves a fair chance to showcase her skills in the WPL, which could potentially occur this season.
