🏏WPL 2025: Match 15 - GG W vs UP Warriorz W at Lucknow, 03/03/25🏏 - Page 3

Originally posted by: Prizi

No prediction game for champion trophy?

Cheers..

It is here. It is back. Proud, pompous, and in all its glory. Beyond forgery, fabrication or imitation, and far, far away from that tense teething tiptoe onto the international calendar. This, ladies and gentlemen, is the Women's Premier League.

An event like no other. A tournament that demands the very best to be at their very best. A competition that, across two entertaining, enterprising and eventful years, has housed memorable narratives and equally mind-blowing conclusions.

And so, from the magnificent and magically metronomic Mumbai Indians in 2023, to the resurgent, resilient and regal Royal Challengers Bengaluru last year, the WPL now waltzes into Vadodara, perhaps towards a reiteration of those already written yet compelling stories that form the tournament's fabric, or maybe floating towards an entirely fresh fairy tale that will be etched in folklore forever.

RCB, winners once already, itching to do it all over again. The Gujarat Giants, champions never before, but yearning, almost manifesting that a new year and a new landscape will herald a new dawn; that this season of love, of hope, of possibilities, and romance will finally see fantasy intertwine with reality.

Defending champions often have a target on their backs, and RCB's task has gotten tougher with several key players unavailable and others under an injury cloud. More on that, the players who have come in as replacements and how RCB could line up in Sruthi's season preview.

Speaking of a new dawn, the Giants have a new skipper at the helm this campaign, with Ashleigh Gardner taking over from Beth Mooney. Will that spark a turnaround and lead to their first WPL playoff appearance? All that and much more in Srinidhi's season preview for the Giants.

Pitch Report: A high-scoring game is on the cards, reckons Mithali Raj. The grass has been rolled in very well and she bangs her knuckles into the turf to show hard the surface is. There might be a bit of help early on for the seamers but she expects it to a high-scoring encounter. The square boundaries are a bit skewed too - a 50m boundary to one side, 60m to the other. 69m hit straight down the ground,

It's time for the toss. Gardner and Mandhana are out in the middle, with a loud cheer going around once Mandhana's name is announced. Gardner gives the coin a twirl. Mandhana calls and she calls correctly. RCB will bowl first. She adds that it is great to be back in Vadodara, which feels like a home ground for them, given the support. Dew has been a factor in the previous two training sessions, she says, and that is the reason they are bowling first. There have been a few forced changes but the is happy with the way the team has set up. Perry, Wareham, Wyatt-Hodge and Garth are the four foreign players in the eleven. RCB also have three Indian debutants: Prema Rawat, VJ Joshitha and Raghvi Bist.

Gardner says they would have bowled first too. Reckons they have a lot of experience but also plenty of youth and she is excited to see how the youngsters fare. Five debutants, Gardner adds, with Priya Mishra, Kashvee Gautam, Sayali Satghare, Deandra Dottin and Simran Shaikh all making their WPL bow for the Giants.

Teams:

Royal Challengers Bengaluru Women (Playing XI): Smriti Mandhana(c), Danielle Wyatt-Hodge, Ellyse Perry, Raghvi Bist, Richa Ghosh(w), Kanika Ahuja, Georgia Wareham, Kim Garth, Prema Rawat, Joshitha V J, Renuka Thakur Singh

Gujarat Giants Women (Playing XI): Laura Wolvaardt, Beth Mooney(w), Dayalan Hemalatha, Ashleigh Gardner(c), Deandra Dottin, Harleen Deol, Simran Shaikh, Tanuja Kanwar, Sayali Satghare, Priya Mishra, Kashvee Gautam

Originally posted by: Viswasruti

Outlook: To say Gujarat Giants have underperformed in seasons one and two would be soft-pedalling their issues. From controversies to injuries, Giants have had a forgettable two years so far and would be looking to get third-time lucky as they bid for the playoffs spot with a refurbished leadership group overseen by head coach Michael Klinger. With a strong Australian core at its heart, the GG side doesn't lack firepower but the rawness of its domestic contingent has often let them down. That said, three of the Giants' players have gone on to make their India white-ball debut between the two editions, while Harleen Deol - who had her season cut short last year due to an ACL injury - has made a successful comeback with a maiden ODI century to boot. The inexperience of their pace-bowling unit may be a glaring weakness that Giants would be hoping to mask with its potent and varied spin attack, to be led by their new captain Ashleigh Gardner.

Where they finished in WPL 2024: Bottom of the table, for the second successive season.

Thanks for the tag

......

All the best..Both the teams.👍👍

Ellyse Perry: Really nice feeling to be back together - the start of what promises to be another great tournament. This competition seems to go from strength to strength every year, it will be a very tough competition, which is exciting. Had a little bit of time at home between the Ashes and coming here. There is so much cricket on the calendar now, which is great. Really excited to see what unfolds in this tournament. (On her hip injury) Certainly fit for the game, won't bowl for the first bit of the tournament. Glad to be out here, nice to be able to prep the last couple of days (for the first game). So much changes (in between seasons) and even the way the roster just turns over, from that perspective, it very much feels like a clean slate, for us and for all the teams. (On returning to the Chinnaswamy Stadium) Gosh, that place is just amazing for us. We have had such incredible support. Nice to be back there to play some matches. These first two games count for a lot too.

end of over 2

8 runs

GG-W: 14/0

CRR: 7.00

L Wolvaardt

5 (6)

BL Mooney

7 (6)

KJ Garth

1-0-8-0

Renuka Singh

1-0-6-0