Evenly-matched sides promise exciting Eliminator
NEW DELHI: It's time to enter the business end of the second edition of the
Women's Premier League
(WPL). The league stage is over and only two knockout matches remain - the Eliminator and final. While Delhi Capitals have made it to the decider by finishing on top of the table in the league phase, the next two - Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore - will fight it out in the Eliminator on Friday for a spot in the final.
This WPL both teams have won a match each against one another. MI emerged victorious by 7 wickets the first time at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, while RCB returned the favour by the same margin at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
It's quite clear the two teams are matched evenly going into the Eliminator. A lot, therefore, will depend on the conditions and how the players from both sides counter them.
Going by the numbers, Bengaluru clearly was the more high-scoring venue, whereas Delhi has been mixed. Some matches have favoured the bowlers due to the sluggish nature of the pitch, while a few have seen batters on the rampage. The reason is the use of five different pitches in the course of the Delhi leg of the WPL. For the Eliminator, which one is put into use remains to be seen.
MI's campaign has seen their talismanic captain
Harmanpreet Kaur
lead from the front. Harmanpreet has been the team's top run-getter with 235 runs in 6 innings at an average of 58.75 and a strike-rate of 146.87. On the bowling front, Shabnim Ismail has bowled some thunderbolts during the tournament.
The South African recorded the fastest delivery (132.1 kph) bowled ever in women's cricket during a game against Delhi Capitals. MI are expecting the return of opener
Yastika Bhatia
, who was a missing factor in the final league game loss to RCB. Other key players for the team are leg-spinning New Zealand allrounder Amelia Kerr and English allrounder Nat Sciver-Brunt.
RCB, on the other hand, have had their two big guns
Smriti Mandhana
and
Ellyse Perry
firing on all cylinders. Smriti has amassed 259 runs in 8 innings (strike rate 145.5), while Perry has 246 runs in 7 innings (strike rate 130.15) to her name. Perry has also starred with the ball, returning with the best-ever figures (6/15) in WPL during RCB's win over MI.
Just like their men's team, RCB's bowling department lacks firepower. Wicketkeeper-bat
Richa Ghosh
and New Zealand allrounder Sophie Devine's performance will also be pivotal for RCB's chances.
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