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 on the entertainment.
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 acquiring key players such as Kate Cross, S Meghana, Ekta Bisht, and Georgia Wareham in the WPL 2024 auction. Despite the absence of Heather Knight and Kanika Ahuja due to international commitments and 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 at the auction, uncapped batter Vrinda Dinesh, is a key addition to their squad, along with the signing of Chamari Athapaththu in place of Lauren Bell.
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 endured a disastrous WPL season last year, facing difficulties against off-spin and making questionable choices throughout.
Mandhana must improve her performance in 2023, both as a batsman and as a captain. Devine is a strong hitter and requires assistance at the beginning of the lineup.
The middle order of Bangalore has been affected by the absence of Knight and Kanika, but they still possess strong players such as Ellyse Perry and Richa Ghosh. If the inexperienced domestic players perform well, it will be difficult to defeat them.
UPW faced challenges in getting their Indian players to excel in batting. KP Navgire struggled in adjusting to a higher batting position, and utilizing her as a finisher would be a more strategic decision. Despite not making a significant impact in WPL 2023, Shweta Sehrawat has been in top form recently and will be determined to translate that into concrete results.
Vrinda’s inclusion is expected to provide a boost to the Warriorz, who heavily rely on the batting prowess of Alyssa Healy, Tahlia McGrath, and Grace Harris. McGrath may also have to shoulder a significant bowling burden 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 potentially give RCB an edge, as they tend to perform well with the support of their fans. Despite the changes to the rosters, UPW may even have a stronger team on paper, but Bangalore is expected to kick off their campaign with a victory.
