WPL 2023, MI vs RCB: Smriti Mandhana's Bangalore seek quick turnaround against high-flying Mumbai Indians

Two of the Indian women's cricket superstars - Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana - will go toe-to-toe when Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore lock horns in the fourth match of the ongoing Women's Premier League (WPL) on March 06 (Monday) at Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai.

SportsTak

• Mon • 06 Mar 2023

Two of the Indian women's cricket superstars - Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana - will go toe-to-toe when Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore lock horns in the fourth match of the ongoing Women's Premier League (WPL) on March 06 (Monday) at Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai. The two franchises have endured contrasting starts to the first-ever WPL.

Mumbai came out firing and registered a resounding 143-run victory over Gujarat Giants. Bangalore, on the flip side, suffered a huge loss as Delhi Capitals emerged victorious by 60 runs. Harmanpreet Kaur's Mumbai would look to keep their foot on the gas paddle and turn their sizzling start into another win against Bangalore. Smriti Mandhana would seek a quick turnaround in order to register the first win of the tournament.

For Mumbai, Harmanpreet led from the front and cracked a glorious half-century with the bat while Saika Ishaque turned tormentor with the ball and bagged four wickets. Lashed with all-rounders, Mumbai are in tremendous shape heading into Monday's fixture.

Bangalore boasts a star-studded squad on paper. But just like their men's team, the women's team too struggled to put on a cohesive display against Delhi. The onus will be on the stylish batter and leader Mandhana to rally her troops after a dejecting loss.

RCB bowlers, who leaked 223 runs against Delhi, would need to put on a better show against Mumbai's batting line-up that has the firepower to take the game away quickly.

Squads

Mumbai Indians Women: Yastika Bhatia(w), Hayley Matthews, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Harmanpreet Kaur(c), Amelia Kerr, Pooja Vastrakar, Issy Wong, Amanjot Kaur, Humaira Kazi, Jintimani Kalita, Saika Ishaque, Heather Graham, Chloe Tryon, Sonam Yadav, Neelam Bisht, Priyanka Bala, Dhara Gujjar

Royal Challengers Bangalore Women: Smriti Mandhana(c), Sophie Devine, Ellyse Perry, Disha Kasat, Richa Ghosh(w), Heather Knight, Kanika Ahuja, Asha Shobana, Megan Schutt, Preeti Bose, Renuka Thakur Singh, Dane van Niekerk, Indrani Roy, Erin Burns, Poonam Khemnar, Sahana Pawar, Shreyanka Patil, Komal Zanzad