The third edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) is set to begin on Friday, with defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) taking on Gujarat Giants (GG), at the Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara. However, RCB has already suffered setbacks, with several key players ruled out due to injuries. Fans will hope for the skipper, Smriti Mandhana, to lead from the front and for the franchise to put up a strong performance.
For that, Mandhana needs to step up with the bat. In WPL 2024, she scored 300 runs in 10 innings at an average of 30.00 and a strike rate of 133.92, including two fifties. However, she faces a big challenge from the newly-appointed GG skipper, Ashleigh Gardner. The Australian all-rounder is set to make her captaincy debut and has troubled Mandhana on numerous occasions. Gardner has dismissed her eight times in T20s, and five times in ODIs, making her a major threat.
In the last edition of the WPL, Gardner took seven wickets in eight inns at an economy of 7.75. In WPL head-to-head encounters on four occasions, both teams have won two matches each. The pitch at Kotambi favours spinners. Early on, the pitch is good for stroke play, but as the innings progress, it starts to assist the spinners. For instance, during the recent ODI series played between India and West Indies at this venue, spinners claimed 29 wickets at an economy of 5.78, while pacers took 17 wickets at 5.24.
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Mandhana has struggled against spin in recent games against Gujarat, getting out to spinners in all four encounters. Gardner dismissed her twice, while Sneh Rana and Tanuja Kanwar got her out once each. Even in her recent outing at this venue against West Indies, she fell to left-arm spinner Zaida James.
However, RCB fans can take comfort in Mandhana’s recent form. She has been in superb touch, smashing two centuries and six fifties in her last 10 international matches across all formats.
A good start from her can set the tone for RCB. Mandhana must find gaps and rotate the strike while facing the spinners. Otherwise, too many dot balls could force her into risky shots. Gardner will be eager to exploit the southpaw’s weakness once again and give her team a winning start.
