"They will beat all other franchises if you play a 7-a-side match today" - Aakash Chopra on RCB's squad heading into WPL 2023
Aakash Chopra feels the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will beat all other Women's Premier League (WPL) franchises if they play a seven-a-side game.
The Bangalore-based franchise spent ₹11.9 crore to assemble a full-strength 18-member squad at the WPL 2023 auction earlier this month. They bought their skipper Smriti Mandhana for ₹3.4 crore, the most expensive pick across all franchises at the auction.
While reflecting on the Royal Challengers Bangalore squad on the "AakashVani" show on JioCinema, Chopra pointed out that they will have seven formidable players in the XI, stating:
"They have assembled a good team. They will beat all other franchises if you play a seven-a-side match today because they have such a strong team. The first name that came in the auction was Smriti Mandhana's and they went 3.4 crores."
The former Indian opener also observed that RCB have named Smriti Mandhana as their skipper. He highlighted that the franchise has a plethora of leadership options, elaborating:
"The special thing about this team is that they have assembled a lot of captains. They first bought Smriti Mandhana, then Ellyse Perry, Sophie Devine - which I thought was a steal - and Heather Knight later. They also have Dane van Niekerk and Megan Schutt."
From one No. 18 to another, from one skipper to another, Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis announce RCB’s captain for the Women’s Premier League - Smriti Mandhana.
#PlayBold #WPL2023 #CaptainSmriti @mandhana_smriti https://t.co/sqmKnJePPu
Sophie Devine and Ellyse Perry were RCB's second and third picks for ₹50 lakh and ₹1.7 crore respectively. They also acquired Heather Knight for just ₹40 lakh towards the latter stages of the auction.
"The best fast bowler and the best batter in the country are with them" - Aakash Chopra on RCB's acquisitions of Renuka Singh and Smriti Mandhana
Aakash Chopra pointed out that apart from four overseas professionals, the Royal Challengers Bangalore will have three formidable Indian players in the XI, observing:
"If we talk about the Indian players, along with Smriti Mandhana, they picked Richa Ghosh and Renuka Singh Thakur. The best fast bowler and the best batter in the country are with them - they have both Renuka Singh Thakur and Smriti Mandhana."
The cricketer-turned-commentator highlighted that the franchise has a decent mix of Indian and overseas players in the batting department, saying:
"In batting, they have Smriti Mandhana, Sophie Devine, Ellyse Perry, Erin Burns as well although I am not counting her here, and then Richa Ghosh - batting looks quite okay."
Here is Royal Challengers Bangalore’s strongest XI for WPL 2023 🏏
What changes will you make? 🤔
#RCB #WPL2023 #CricketTwitter https://t.co/hxOd7UyZ2P
However, Chopra feels the spin-bowling department could be RCB's Achilles heel in WPL 2023. He reasoned that they don't have a seasoned spinner in their Indian and overseas contingent.