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Smriti Mandhana's star-studded Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will meet the Delhi Capitals (DC), led by Meg Lanning, and will face off in the second match of the inaugural Women's Premier League (WPL) season in Mumbai on Sunday, March 4.
Bangalore have put together a fantastic brilliant set of international recruits, including skipper Mandhana, who is the highest-paid player in the league at Rs 3.40 crore. They have at their disposal the likes of Ellyse Perry, Heather Knight, Sophie Devine and Richa Ghosh, making them definite title contenders ahead of their first-ever WPL match.
But on paper, the multiple World Cup-winning legendary Australian Meg Lanning's Delhi team will have an edge over their opponents. Lanning can call upon the services of Jess Jonassen, Marizanne Kapp and Alice Capsey among their four overseas options, while their Indian line-up boasts the likes of Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Shikha Pandey, Poonam Yadav, Arundhati Reddy, Taniya Bhatia, Radha Yadav who are all seasoned international players.
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Among their younger talents, they have U19 World Cup-winning seamer Titas Sadhu, hard-hitting Kashmir woman Jasia Akhtar and keeper Aparna Mondal, making them possibly the strongest team in terms of Indian talents.
On a lighter note, DC's South African star Kapp will face off against her spouse Dane Van Niekerk, who is in the RCB team.
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RCB will most likely go with Kapp, Knight, Perry and fast bowler Megan Schutt as their four overseas players in what will be a challenge for captain Mandhana. It will be a test for the opening batter's captaincy credentials, with many people hoping to see her lead Team India after Harmanpreet Kaur in the future.
Richa and seamer Renuka Thakur will be the other Indian players to surely land a place in the Playing XI. In addition to them, and the skipper Mandhana, there lies a dilemma as to who to give a chance. Indrani Roy and Disha Kasat are two options in the Playing XI given their formidable domestic seasons, but the likes of Komal Zanzad, Shobhana Asha, Poonam Khemnar, Kanika Ahuja, Preeti Bose and Sahana Pawar fit the bill as per team combination will determine RCB's run in the tournament.
Delhi Capitals
Meg Lanning (captain), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Jess Jonasen, Alice Capsey, Tara Norris, Laura Harris, Marizanne Kapp, Poonam Yadav, Shikha Pandey, Taniya Bhatia (wk), Aparna Mondal (wk), Titas Sadhu, Arundhati Reddy, Radha Yadav, Minnu Mani, Jasia Akhtar
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Smriti Mandhana (captain), Richa Ghosh (wk), Dane Van Niekerk, Heather Knight, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Sophie Devine, Erin Burns, Disha Kasat, Sahana Pawar, Renuka Thakur, Komal Zanzad, Poonam Khemnar, Kanika Ahuja, Preeti Bose, Shobhana Asha, Shreyanka Patil, Indrani Roy (wk).
