UP Warriorz captain Alyssa Healy won the toss and elected to bowl first in the second match of the Women's Premier League 2024 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday, February 24. Her team is up against Smriti Mandhana's Royal Challengers Bangalore, who are playing in front of a raucous home crowd that will be cheering their every move. (Streaming | Match Blog)
Mandhana found it hard to make herself heard amid the deafening noise that greeted her at the toss. She said her team knew and was prepared for the overwhelming support. "There's going to be a lot of noise and support. That's how RCB fan base is," Mandhana added.
Speaking on the playing conditions, the RCB skipper opined: "I think it's the same wicket like last night. 175 would be a decent score if we play to our strengths."
She added, "We didn't have a great campaign last year. It's important for all the players to step up in order to win the tournament."
Healy said it felt amazing to play on a ground as vibrant as the M Chinnaswamy. "We have to do the job with the ball. Poonam (Khemnar) is going to play a big role, Chamari Athapaththu - our overseas recruit will also play a key role for us. Excited to play here," she added.
Playing XIs
Royal Challengers Bangalore Women: Smriti Mandhana (c), Sophie Devine, Sabbhineni Meghana, Ellyse Perry, Richa Ghosh (wk), Sophie Molineux, Georgia Wareham, Shreyanka Patil, Simran Bahadur, Sobhana Asha, Renuka Thakur Singh.
UP Warriorz Women: Alyssa Healy (wk/c), Sophie Ecclestone, Tahlia McGrath, Deepti Sharma, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Kiran Navgire, Vrinda Dinesh, Poonam Khemnar, Shweta Sehrawat, Grace Harris, Saima Thakor.
