As RCB take on Mumbai Indians for their final WPL 2023 fixture, the Smriti Mandhana-led side will not just be eyeing a hat-trick of wins, but a proud way to exit the tournament with their heads held high. 

Fuelled by a mesmerising 99-run knock from Sophie Devine, RCB thrashed the Gujarat Giants in their last fixture, but a win for the UP Warriorz over the same opponents put a rude end to the Challengers’ chances of making the top 3.  

The Mumbai Indians, on the other hand, were the first team to qualify for the knockouts, and with an eye on carrying forward momentum, they will be keen on putting their best foot forward to dash RCB’s hopes. 

Key player battles:

Smriti Mandhana vs Natalie Sciver-Brunt

Smriti Mandhana found herself in the midst of runs in the preceding fixture where she provided the perfect support to Sophie Devine as the duo staged a solid opening stand. Considering her willow has started to do the talking, she would be eager to bring out her best as RCB prepares for the final league game. Natalie Sciver-Brunt has been one of the fiercest enforcers with the ball in her hands and can very well trouble Smriti early on with some swing.

Ellyse Perry vs Harmanpreet Kaur

Ellyse Perry has made significant contributions both with the bat and the ball in the tournament and as days pass by, she has gotten a lot more fierce, instilling fears in the heart of her opponents. She has already registered a couple of half-centuries and is the third-highest run-scorer in the tournament now with 224 runs from 7 matches at a strike rate of 134.13. She also holds the record of clocking the fastest delivery in the history of women’s cricket with an absolute gunner of 130.5 kph against the UP Warriorz. Harmanpreet Kaur has been in decent touch with the bat as well as she is in hot pursuit of Perry with 205 runs from 6 games at a strike rate of 166.67 and will be the perfect match-up for the elite RCB all-rounder, who will be keen to strike with the ball.

Sophie Devine vs Amelia Kerr

The White Fern who is popularly known as Sophie Devine, brought out an onslaught like never before. She was at the top of her game in the preceding encounter against the Gujarat Giants, hammering a crucial 99 off just 36 balls. She held the Orange Cap briefly, with 266 runs from 7 matches at a staggering strike rate of 175. Amelia Kerr has been in fine touch of late and even in the last game where Mumbai was defending a pretty modest total, she bagged figures of 2 for 22 from her 4 overs, spicing up the chase.

Match Details:

Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Mumbai Indians

Venue: Dr. DY Patil Sports Stadium, Navi Mumbai

Date: 21st March, 2023

Time: 3:30 PM IST

Squads:

Royal Challengers Bangalore:

Smriti Mandhana (C), Sophie Devine, Ellyse Perry, Renuka Singh, Richa Ghosh, Erin Burns, Disha Kasat, Indrani Roy, Shreyanka Patil, Kanika Ahuja, Asha Shobana, Heather Knight, Dane van Niekerk, Preeti Bose, Poonam Khemnar, Komal Zanzad, Megan Schutt, Sahana Pawar

Mumbai Indians:

Yastika Bhatia (wk), Hayley Matthews, Dhara Gujjar, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Amelia Kerr, Amanjot Kaur, Pooja Vastrakar, Jintimani Kalita, Issy Wong, Sonam Yadav, Saika Ishaque, Heather Graham, Chloe Tryon, Humairaa Kaazi, Priyanka Bala, Neelam Bisht