Royal Challengers Bangalore are set to host Mumbai Indians in their last home game at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday. The match is expected to be a classic as the two most famous Indian players will be leading their respective sides - Smriti Mandhana for RCB and Harmanpreet Kaur for MI. (Full Coverage| Schedule And Points Table)
Kaur missed the last game against UP Warriorz due to a niggle injury and she is expected to return as captain in the game against RCB on Saturday. MI Head Coach Charlotte Edwards informed the press about her return on the ve of the match. In her absence, Nat Sciver-Brunt led the team and MI lost the match by seven wickets.
The star Australian all-rounder Ellyse Perry was also rested in the last RCB game against Delhi Capitals. Smriti Mandhana led the 195-run chase with a positive intent but they remained 25 runs sort of the target. Both teams are coming with their first loss of the season in their last match.
RCB-W vs MI-W Squads:
Royal Challengers Bangalore Women: Smriti Mandhana (c), Sophie Devine, Ellyse Perry, Sabbhineni Meghana, Richa Ghosh (wk), Shreyanka Patil, Asha Sobhana, Simran Bahadur, Georgia Wareham, Kate Cross, Renuka Thakur Singh, Disha Kasat, Nadine de Klerk, Ekta Bisht, Sophie Molineux, Indrani Roy, Shubha Satheesh, Shraddha Pokharkar.
Mumbai Indians Women: Hayley Matthews, Yastika Bhatia(w), Nat Sciver-Brunt(c), Amelia Kerr, Pooja Vastrakar, Issy Wong, S Sajana, Amanjot Kaur, Humaira Kazi, Keerthana Balakrishnan, Saika Ishaque, Harmanpreet Kaur, Shabnim Ismail, Chloe Tryon, Fatima Jaffer, Jintimani Kalita, Priyanka Bala, Amandeep Kaur
As the two teams are set to clash in a high-octane game, three key player battles are worth looking out for:
1. Smriti Mandhana vs Shabnim Ismail
Smriti Mandhana scored her maiden WPL fifty in the last game against Delhi Capitals and showed how dangerous she can be. Shabnim Ismail, who was rested for the last game due to a niggle, is expected to make a comeback against RCB. She usually bowls in powerplay and Mandhana likes to take on bowlers early in the game. The battle between the pace and raw talent will be a treat to the eyes.
2. Amelia Kerr vs Renuka Thakur Singh
Amelia Kerr has been a constant force in Mumbai Indians' batting order and she likes to take on fast bowlers early in the game. RCB's Renuka Thakur Singh had a great game against Gujarat Giants where she bagged the Player of the Match award and dismissed the GGT's top-order completely with her pace bowling. The same is expected of her against Kerr as well but the 23-year-old Kiwi all-rounder is not an easy target.
3. Sabbhineni Meghana vs Hayley Matthews
Sabbhineni Meghana has made runs in all three games so far. Her work is to take the game deep and keep hitting boundaries whenever there is an opportunity. She has done her job well so far but the veteran all-rounder Hayley Matthews will surely create some difficulties for her when the two face each other on Saturday.
