The second season of the Women's Premier League (WPL) has approached its business end and with Delhi Capitals booking their spot in the final, it's down to Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore to figure it out as to who joins them there. DC won six of their eight group matches and finished top of the pile followed by MI and then RCB. (Streaming | More Cricket News)
Harmanpreet Kaur-led Mumbai Indians will lock horns against Smriti Mandhana's Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Eliminator at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Friday, March 15. Mumbai Indians entered this competition as the reigning champions with five victories to their name. They could have sealed the top spot but ended up losing to RCB.
RCB will again look upto Ellyse Perry, who starred with the ball and bat in their league fixture against MI, to clinch victory and seal a spot in the qualifiers. As for the reigning champions, MI will look to turn the tables and regain their title.
Full Squads-
MI-W Full Squad For WPL 2024: Amanjot Kaur, Amelia Kerr, Chloe Tryon, Harmanpreet Kaur, Hayley Matthews, Humaira Kazi, Issy Wong, Jintimani Kalita, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Pooja Vastrakar, Priyanka Bala, Saika Ishaque, Yastika Bhatia, Shabnim Ismail, S Sajana, Amandeep Kaur, Fatima Jaffer, Keerthana Balakrishnan
RCB-W Full Squad For WPL 2024: Asha Shobana, Disha Kasat, Ellyse Perry, Indrani Roy, Kanika Ahuja, Renuka Singh, Richa Ghosh, Shreyanka Patil, Smriti Mandhana, Sophie Devine, Georgia Wareham, Kate Cross, Ekta Bisht, Shubha Satheesh, S Meghana, Simran Bahadur, Sophie Molineux.
Here are the three key battles to look forward to ahead of the Eliminator clash in the WPL 2024:
1) Shabnim Ismail Vs Smriti Mandhana
One of the lethal fast bowler at MI's disposal is none other than South Africa's Shabnim Ismail. The pacer, who recently became the first cricketer to bowl the fastest delivery in the women's cricket, has got some serious speed up her sleeve to trouble opposition batters. Shabnim has taken eight wickets so far in six games but could feature in this crucial match against RCB. Up against her will be skipper of Royal Challengers Bangalore, Smriti Mandhana. The southpaw has scored 259 runs so far in eight matches and will look to give her side the fast start they crave for. This battle between bat and ball could be one spectacle that must not be missed.
2) Nat Sciver-Brunt Vs Ellyse Perry
Australia vs England in WPL 2024, bring it on! England's finest all-rounder Nat Sciver-Brunt has not been among the runs but her value to the team is incomparable. Sciver-Brunt is also handy with the ball in hand and contributes when called upon. MI's success last year was figures in the side including Sciver-Brunt, that they went on to win the inaugural season. However, Australian all-rounder Ellyse Perry has picked up form at the right time for RCB and with the Bangalore side eyeing first final, this could be her stage to shine.
3) Amelia Kerr Vs Sophie Devine
WPL 2024 Eliminator could see national teammates go head-to-head and one such battle could be between MI's Amelia Kerr and RCB's Sophie Devine. Kerr has scored 188 runs in eight games and also taken seven wickets. However, Devine has not flourished with the bat (98 runs) and has only managed to get 6 wickets in eight matches. This battle could be a mouth-watering one given what's on the line - final spot.
