UP Warriorz and Gujarat Giants are set to face off in match 8 of the Women's Premier League 2024 on Friday at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Both teams have some quality batters and are the only two sides with foreign captains in WPL 2024. (Full Coverage| Schedule And Points Table)
The Alyssa Healy-led UP Warriorz finally won their first match of the season after defeating Mumbai Indians by seven wickets on Wednesday whereas, Beth Mooney's Gujarat Giants are still in search of their first win this season.
Veda Krishnamurthy, Harleen Deol and Phoebe Litchfield have been unsuccessful in justifying their talent so far. Dayalan Hemalatha and Kathryn Bryce have utilised the opportunities given to them. Last year's Sneh Rana is also finding her form.
Alyssa Healy & Co. have not been at their best but they have opened their win account in the last match thanks to Kiran Navgire and Grace Harris' innings. Vrinda Dinesh has not done anything so far to justify her price. The captain herself is not in good touch with the bat.
Squads:
Gujarat Giants: Beth Mooney (c & wk), Veda Krishnamurthy, Harleen Deol, Phoebe Litchfield, Dayalan Hemalatha, Ashleigh Gardner, Kathryn Bryce, Sneh Rana, Tanuja Kanwar, Lea Tahuhu, Meghna Singh, Laura Wolvaardt, Tarannum Pathan, Mannat Kashyap, Shabnam Md Shakil, Sayali Satghare, Priya Mishra, Trisha Poojitha
UP Warriorz: Alyssa Healy (c & wk), Vrinda Dinesh, Tahlia McGrath, Grace Harris, Shweta Sehrawat, Kiran Navgire, Poonam Khemnar, Deepti Sharma, Sophie Ecclestone, Anjali Sarvani, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Saima Thakor, Laxmi Yadav, Parshavi Chopra, Soppadhandi Yashasri, Chamari Athapaththu, Danielle Wyatt, Gouher Sultana
With the game approaching, here are the three key battles between the two teams that are worth looking out for:
1. Beth Mooney vs Sophie Ecclestone
Beth Mooney is the guiding force of Gujarat's batting. She is not in her best form and that can be a plus point for Sophie Ecclestone. The left-arm orthodox from England has taken three wickets in as many matches but can do major damage to the Giants captain when they meet on Friday.
2. Vrinda Dinesh vs Lea Tahuhu
Vrinda Dinesh has looked mediocre so far in the two matches she played and taking her wicket doesn't look like a big deal for the Kiwi veteran Lea Tahuhu. She bowled economically well in the game against Mumbai Indians and also took a wicket in that match. The right-arm-fast medium will be a crucial weapon against Dinesh as she bowls in the powerplay as well.
3. Kiran Navgire vs Kathryn Bryce
Kiran Navgire was promoted up the batting order and opened the innings with Healy in the last match where she made 57 off 31 balls and helped chase the 162-run target with 21 balls to spare. The right-arm medium Kathryn Bryce comes to bowl in the powerplay and she may be difficult to face for Navgire. She has a good bouncer and a lethal yorker that can work against Navgire in the next match.
