Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Mumbai Indians (MI) will face off in the 19th match of the inaugural Women’s Premier League (WPL) on Tuesday, March 21 at the Dr. DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai.
In the tournament, RCB and MI had very different campaigns. Due to their initial five-match winning streak, the Mumbai-based team was the first to reach the playoffs. However, Harmanpreet Kaur and Co., who had losses in their previous two games, will want to win their final league game to gain momentum before the playoffs.
In contrast, RCB has been eliminated from contention for the playoffs. The Smriti Mandhana-drove side has overseen only two successes from seven matches and is mulling at the penultimate spot in the WPL focuses table.
In this article, we examine the intriguing matchups for the upcoming WPL 2023 matchup between MI and RCB.
#1 Asha Shobana vs. Harmanpreet Kaur
The MI captain, Harmanpreet Kaur, has been performing exceptionally well throughout the tournament. She is currently the team’s leading run-scorer this season, having scored 228 runs in six innings.
The veteran batter has a strike rate of 153.02 and an excellent average of 57.00. Before the crucial playoffs, Harmanpreet will be trying to come up with another big hit.
Leg spinner Asha Shobana has emerged as a promising option for RCB, despite the fact that their bowlers have performed poorly in the competition. In recent matches, she has relied on giving right-handed players air to the ball and has also been able to extract some turns.
The 32-year-old has four wickets at an economy rate of 8.42 in as many games. Smriti Mandhana and co. would like the clever spinner to defeat Harmanpreet in the match if they want to win their campaign.
#2 Sophie Devine vs. Saika Ishaque
In the team’s previous match against Gujarat Giants (GG), RCB debutante Sophie Devine wowed the crowd with a stunning knock. The right-handed batter was run out on 99, missing out on a well-deserved century.
Bangalore was able to chase down a challenging target of 189 in 15.3 overs thanks to her stunning shot, keeping their hopes alive. However, she will face a formidable opponent in Saika Ishaque, an experienced left-arm spinner, when she takes on MI.
Ishaque has been a standout performer for Mumbai, scoring 12.66 economy points in seven matches. In particular, she got Devine out of the fight between MI and RCB earlier in the tournament.
#3 Hayley Matthews vs. Ellyse Perry
Hayley Matthews has excelled for MI in the WPL 2023 with both the bat and the ball. In the tournament, the 25-year-old has scored 208 runs and taken 12 wickets.
It is anticipated that her game against Ellyse Perry will be entertaining. Perry has made seven appearances for Bangalore and has been one of the best batsmen, scoring 224 runs at an average of 44.80.
Due to the fact that their performances will be crucial for their respective teams, a close battle between the two impact players is expected. Matthews has taken a number of important wickets for her team. Given the hot form of the Australian all-rounder, she would want to get Perry’s prize wicket this time around.