Smriti Mandhana and Nat Sciver-Brunt (Source: @WPLT20/X.com)
It's time for the all-important clash in the Women's Premier League (WPL) 2025, where Royal Challengers Bengaluru Women (RCB-W) are all set to host Mumbai Indians Women (MI-W) at the iconic M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. This high-profile, thrilling encounter will take place on Friday, February 21st, 2025, from 7:30 PM IST.
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru side, led by the inspirational Smriti Mandhana, have brought their 2024 form in this tournament so far. Winning both games convincingly, the Bengaluru side are at the top of the table with four points after two matches, with a healthy NRR of +1.440.
On the opposite hand are the inaugural champions, Mumbai Indians Women, captained by Harmanpreet Kaur. After playing two matches, the MI side are placed in the middle of the table, at third position, with one win while having two points, they also have an NRR of +0.783.
Top 3 Captain and Vice-Captain Choices for BLR-W vs MUM-W
The pitch at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru is an extremely supportive batting surface where high scores can easily be scored and chased. The pitch is exceptionally flat and considered a graveyard for the bowlers.
Pacers might get some initial movement, but it's all batters' show after that. Spinners will have to be highly consistent with the line and length, and anything loose and short can be easily dispatched over the short boundaries here. With dew coming into play, the side chasing gets the advantage. Therefore, the team winning the toss will likely bowl first at this venue.
3. Richa Ghosh
Unbeaten So Far: RCB's middle-order wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh, at the age of 21, is a highly talented youngster. Ghosh, who has batted in two innings so far against Gujarat and Delhi, respectively, has managed to stay unbeaten after both innings.
Specifically, in the first game against the Giants, she played an unbelievable 64-run knock from just 27 deliveries, with seven fours and four sixes to her name, as she struck runs at a whopping 237.03. Her incredible performance helped the RCB side cross the line easily as they chased down 202 with nine deliveries to spare.
Powerful Striker: Ghosh is not at all short of her power-hitting abilities, especially when she comes lower down the order. In 20 WPL matches, Ghosh has struck 470 runs at an outstanding strike rate of 149.20 while maintaining an average of 39.16.
In fact, if we look at her international T20 career, she has done incredibly well with 985 runs for India, coming at a strike rate of 142.13, making her an extremely valuable commodity for any side. Therefore, she can be easily considered as the captain or vice-captain of the side.
2. Nat Sciver-Brunt
Top-Notch Form: MI Women's English import Nat Sciver-Brunt has been exceptional in this WPL 2025. The all-rounder, who has played two games this season so far, has scored 137 runs while gathering three wickets. Talking especially about the previous match against Gujarat, Nat scored 57 with the bat, as she delivered an outstanding spell of 2 for 26 with the ball.
All-Round Capability: The English all-rounder is famous for her abilities in all formats of the game. In 21 WPL matches played since the inaugural season, she has scored 641 runs at an average of 42.73 while striking at 133.82.
Whereas, with the ball, she has 23 wickets at an economy of 7.56. Focusing on her T20 International record, she has 2,789 runs while having 90 wickets in her overall 132-match T20I career. This makes her an excellent option for being picked as the captain or vice-captain of the side.
1. Smriti Mandhana
Fresh off A Great Knock: RCB skipper Smriti Mandhana has been outstanding in the WPL so far where she is coming off an excellent knock against Delhi Capitals, scoring 81 off 47 deliveries with ten fours and three sixes. Mandhana scored runs at 172.34 to take her side over the line.
Record in Bengaluru: In her overall WPL career, she has 539 runs at a strike rate of 130.82. Regarding her stats in Bengaluru, Mandhana has played five games at this venue and has recorded 219 runs at an average of 43.80. What's interesting to notice is her strike rate of 154.22, which makes her an outstanding asset to be picked as captain or vice-captain of this side.
.jpg?type=mq?im=Resize=(250, 250) "Arnav Chopra")
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