Picking a combined RCB-MI playing 11 for WPL 2024 ft. Smriti Mandhana, Amelia Kerr
The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will host the Mumbai Indians (MI) in a highly-anticipated and potential blockbuster encounter at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday, March 2.
Both MI and RCB have had similar starts to their season so far, winning their first two games and losing their third. Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur have shared a great camaraderie over the years and will be very well aware of each other's weaknesses, adding an extra layer of intrigue to this encounter.
While MI have won both their previous WPL encounters against RCB, there are world-class players on both sides and a new season will bring a new challenge with it. On that note, let's take a look at what the strongest possible combined XI of the two teams looks like:
Top order: Smriti Mandhana, Hayley Matthews, Nat Sciver-Brunt
Smriti Mandhana has been in fantastic form this season for RCB, having already scored 130 runs in three games and is just second to Grace Harris in the run-scoring charts. While RCB lost their previous game, Mandhana scored a sparkling 74 off just 43 balls.
Hayley Matthews and Nat Sciver-Brunt both haven't been in the best of forms so far this season. However, that doesn't take away the quality that they bring to the table across all departments.
Apart from quality batting, Matthews' golden arm and Sciver-Brunt's ability to strike with the new ball make them automatic picks in most of the combined XIs around.
Middle order: Harmanpreet Kaur, Amelia Kerr, Richa Ghosh (wk), Pooja Vastrakar
Mumbai Indians' power-packed middle order was one of the main reasons why they clinched the maiden WPL title last year.
The engine room led by Harmanpreet Kaur with her experience was instrumental in several games. Amelia Kerr is a fine batter but her world-class wrist spin also sees her as the current Purple Cap holder with seven scalps from three games.
Richa Ghosh has shown time and again just what she is capable of once she gets going with her big hits. All-rounder Pooja Vastrakar also fits the bill in terms of the finishing role and would complement Richa well, given the duo perform the same roles for Team India.
Bowlers: Shreyanka Patil, Asha Shobana, Renuka Singh Thakur, Shabnim Ismail
Shreyanka Patil and Asha Shobana have added real quality to RCB's spin bowling, especially with the latter starting with a five-wicket haul in their first win of the season against the UP Warriorz.
Renuka Singh Thakur's swing and accuracy, coupled with the veteran Shabnim Ismail's raw pace could prove to be among the best new-ball partnerships in women's cricket. This combination of bowlers ensures that the wicket-taking ability remains intact even with bowling changes