The 2024 Women’s Premier League (WPL) has kicked off with an exciting start, and now the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and the UP Warriorz (UPW) are ready to bring even more entertainment to the table.
The two squads will face off at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday, February 24th. Both will be aiming to surpass their performance from last year, with the former falling short of the playoffs and the latter making an early departure in the knockout rounds.
RCB has strengthened their team by making significant acquisitions, including players such as Kate Cross, S Meghana, Ekta Bisht, and Georgia Wareham, during the WPL 2024 auction. Despite losing Heather Knight to international duties and Kanika Ahuja to a stress injury, they are in a good position to secure a top three spot and qualify for the playoffs.
UPW, on the other hand, has significant gaps in their team, but their deep pool of skilled players makes it impossible to underestimate them. Their recent acquisition of uncapped batter Vrinda Dinesh as a marquee player at the auction, along with the addition of Chamari Athapaththu in exchange for Lauren Bell, showcases their determination to strengthen their lineup.
Will RCB be able to kick off their campaign with a victory in front of their home fans? Or will UPW ruin their celebration?
Rewritten text: RCB aims to capitalize on home field advantage in WPL 2024, Match 2.
RCB boasts a lethal opening duo on paper with Smriti Mandhana and Sophie Devine. Yet, the southpaw had a disastrous performance in the WPL last season, facing difficulties against off-spin and making questionable choices throughout.
Mandhana cannot afford to have the same level of performance she had in 2023, both in terms of batting and captaincy. Devine is a skilled ball striker and requires assistance at the beginning of the batting lineup.
The middle order of Bangalore has been affected by the absence of Knight and Kanika, however, they still possess strong players like Ellyse Perry and Richa Ghosh. If the inexperienced domestic players perform well, they will be a formidable team to beat.
The UPW team faced challenges in getting their Indian players to excel in batting. KP Navgire struggled in a higher batting position and it would be more beneficial to use her as a finisher. Shweta Sehrawat did not make a significant impact in WPL 2023, but has been performing well recently and will be determined to turn that into successful results.
Vrinda’s inclusion is expected to benefit the Warriorz, who heavily rely on Alyssa Healy, Tahlia McGrath, and Grace Harris for their batting prowess. McGrath may also have to shoulder a significant bowling responsibility due to the lack of pacers in the team.
In general, although the two teams are quite evenly matched, having the advantage of playing in front of their home crowd could give RCB a boost, as they tend to perform well with the support of their fans. Despite the changes to the rosters, UPW may even be the stronger team on paper, but Bangalore can be expected to begin their campaign with a victory.
