This match is scheduled to take place at Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai. It is going to be a good contest between BLR-W vs DEL-W with both teams having lots of superstars on their respective sides.
The Women’s T20 WC Australian skipper Meg Lanning will lead the DEL-W while team India’s fabulous opener Smriti Mandhana will lead the BLR-W side. Bangalore side looks like one of the most destructive and most dominating sides for this first ever-edition of the Women’s IND T20 League, with the likes of Sohpie Devine and Elysse Perry, are the big positives for the Bangalore franchise while 20-year-old Kanika Ahuja is the domestic player to watch out for.
Hails from Punjab, Kanika Ahuja, a batting all-rounder who bowls left-arm spin, was signed for 35 Lakhs in the auction. In the DEL-W squad, the side also has some big match winners with the likes of Jemimah Rodrigues and Shafali Verma who will be joined by a rising talent from J&K, 27-year-old Jasia Akhtar.
The Trailblazers’ star batter Akhtar, an opening batter for India D, was the second-best run-scorer in the Senior Women’s Domestic Cup. 30-year-old Aussie star all-rounder Megan Schutt brings plenty of international experience to the Bangalore Women’s bowling attack another Aussie left-arm orthodox bowling all-rounder, Jessica Jonassen plays a similar role in the Delhi camp. It promises to be an exciting contest between two equally matched sides.
BLR-W made some right decisions in the auction to assemble one of the strongest teams in the Women’s IND T20 League. There is plenty of experience in every department. Bangalore Franchise spent INR 3.4 crores to get the services of India’s Smriti Mandhana, recording the highest bid of the auction.
Along with the overseas stars, the Bangalore side also ensured they get the best of Indian talent as they signed top Indian players Richa Ghosh and Renuka Thakur. BLR-W side has 5 batting all-rounders in the squad and they can field a deep batting lineup on the match day. Moreover, the Mandhana-led Bangalore side got three bowling all-rounders giving the skipper the luxury of choice.
The Aussie Women’s skipper Meg Lanning leads a strong and promising batting lineup, her batting and captaincy skills are going to be the most watchful thing in this competition. Team India’s destructive opening batter Shafali Verma, the big-hitting batter could open the innings alongside Jasia Akhtar. Both the players have an impressive strike rate and like to play in the same fashion, they can get DEL-W off to a flying start in this match.
There are some strong Indian players in this squad to watch out for. Hails from Mumbai, 22-year-old, Radha Yadav in the bowling department, 33-year-old India’s Shikha Pandey as the all-rounder, and Rodrigues as the batter will be the key Indian players to watch out for in the tournament.
Match Details
Match: BLR-W vs DEL-W, Match 2, Women’s T20 League
Date: Sunday, 05th March
Time: 03:30 PM
Venue: Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai
Pitch & Weather Report
Brabourne Stadium is one of the best T20 venues in India and the ball comes to the bat nicely and allows batters to hit through the line. Pace bowlers must rely on their skills to do well at this venue. Spinners have done well as the ball turns sharply on this track.
It is the tournament’s second game which will take place between BLR-W vs DEL-W, and we expect the wicket to have something for the bowlers. Most sides have won games here chasing scores, and both captains would have this in their minds. The side winning the toss shall look to bowl second in this game on Sunday. The venue is considered a batting paradise. It has been a high-scoring venue for T20 cricket with the average 1st innings score in women’s T20Is being 160 runs. Both teams have a strong batting lineup and the team batting first should be eyeing something over 170 to ensure a competitive total.
The maximum temperature will remain at 33°C, with a low of 27°C with 43% humidity, and a wind speed of 19 Km/hr for the second Match, the Women’s IND T20 on Mar 05 b/w BLR-W vs DEL-W. The weather in Brabourne Stadium during the match day will be clear and no rain is predicted for this afternoon fixture.
BLR-W vs DEL-W Squad:
BLR-W: Smriti Mandhana, Sophie Devine, Ellyse Perry, Renuka Singh, Richa Ghosh, Erin Burns, Disha Kasat, Indrani Roy, Shreyanka Patil, Kanika Ahuja, Asha Shobana, Heather Knight, Dane van Niekerk, Preeti Bose, Poonam Khemnar, Komal Zanzad, Megan Schutt, Sahana Pawar
DEL-W: Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Marizanne Kapp, Meg Lanning, Alice Capsey, Shikha Pandey, Jess Jonassen, Laura Harris, Radha Yadav, Arundhati Reddy, Minnu Mani, Poonam Yadav, Sneha Deepthi, Taniyaa Bhatia, Titas Sadhu, Jasia Akhter, Aparna Mondal and Tara Norris.
BLR-W vs DEL-W: Probable XIs
BLR-W: Smriti Mandhana (c), Sophie Devine, Ellyse Perry, Heather Knight, Disha Kasat, Richa Ghosh (wk), Kanika Ahuja, Megan Schutt, Preeti Bose, Renuka Thakur, Komal Zanzad
DEL-W: Shafali Verma, Jasia Akhtar, Jemimah Rodrigues, Meg Lanning, Marizanne Kapp, Laura Harris, Taniya Bhatia (wk), Jess Jonassen, Radha Yadav, Shikha Pandey, Poonam Yadav
Match Prediction
Mandhana-led BLR-W is without a doubt, the strongest team on paper for the Women’s IND T20 league. On the other hand, Meg Lanning-led Delhi also packs a strong punch with a good balance of domestic and overseas players who bring experience and talent to the side.
At the moment, both the two sides are on paper and their key players’ current form. Bangalore seems to have an edge in this contest and will be the favourites in our match prediction. We say BLR-W to start their campaign with a win over DEL-W on Sunday.