The third edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) kicks off at the Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara with the Gujarat Giants taking on the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the opening game on Friday, February 14. This season is the closest it has gotten to home-away happening for the tournament with four venues set to host the tournament but it is still in the caravan mode. Vadodara hosts the first few games, followed by Bengaluru, then by Lucknow, which will be another first for the WPL before culminating at the CCI in Mumbai.
The Giants have had a disappointing couple of seasons. There is a change in leadership on and off the field and Ash Gardner, Michael Klinger and Co will hope that it does have a positive impact on their performance apart from making the two costliest signings in Deandra Dottin and Simran Shaikh. The Giants have gotten a lot more options this year, fewer injuries while the defending champs struggle with a lot of them. Three first-choice overseas options and their leading spinner are already out of the picture already and another one being doubtful.
RCB will have the confidence from the last season but it is all in the past and they will have to start well with all the absenteeism. Charlie Dean, Nuzhat Parveen, Heather Graham and Kim Garth by no means are bad replacements but they will quickly have to figure their place and position in the team and vice-versa for Smriti Mandhana and Co not to have a slow start yet again.
Beth Mooney, Laura Wolvaardt (c), Harleen Deol, S Meghana, Deandra Dottin, Ash Gardner (vc), Richa Ghosh, Kanika Ahuja, Kim Garth, Kashvee Gautam, Georgia Wareham/Charlie Dean
Gujarat Giants: Beth Mooney (wk), Laura Wolvaardt, Harleen Deol, Deandra Dottin, Dayalan Hemalatha, Ashleigh Gardner (c), Simran Shaikh, Sayali Satghare, Meghna Singh, Tanuja Kanwar, Kashvee Gautam, Shabnam Shakil/Mannat Kashyap
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Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Smriti Mandhana (c), Danni Wyatt-Hodge, S Meghana, Ellyse Perry, Richa Ghosh, Raghvi Bist, Kanika Ahuja, Georgia Wareham, Jagravi Pawar, Kim Garth, Renuka Singh Thakur
