WPL 2023, MI W vs GG W: Preview, Prediction and Fantasy Tips
WPL 2023: Harmanpreet Kaur will lead the Mumbai team [Twitter]
The most anticipated moment for the history of Women's Cricket is all set to come true. The inaugural edition of Women's Premier League (WPL) is all set to begin on March 4. Just a few hours to go as Gujarat Giants Women lock horns against Mumbai Indians Women at the D.Y Patil Sports Academy, Navi Mumbai.
Both sides have some eye-catching cricketers to watch out and it would be interesting to see what combination the sides follow.
The Giants will be led by Australian wicketkeeper-batter Beth Mooney. They will be having the services of some top-notch Australian international stars that includes Ashleigh Gardner, Annabel Sutherland, and Georgia Wareham. Former West Indies veteran Deandra Dottin is also a part of the community alongside England's promising batter Sophia Dunkley.
The Gujarat-based franchise have some exciting Indian uncapped talents in the form of Hurley Gala (all-rounder), Ashwani Kumari (middle-order batter), Tanuja Kanwar (slow left-arm spinner), and Shabnam Md Shakil (right-arm medium pacer). In addition, Sneh Rana, Sushma Verma, Mansi Joshi, and Harleen Deol are some capped Indians on the side.
On the other side of the spectrum, the Mumbai-based franchise will be led by Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur. She will be hovered by a great blend of youth and experience. When it comes to the coaching staff, Charlotte Edwards is their head coach and the legendary Jhulan Goswami is dictated to be the bowling coach cum mentor.
The presence of Nat Sciver-Brunt, Amelia Kerr, Chloe Tryon, Heather Graham, and Hayley Matthews will offer a lot of all-around options for the side. English pacer, Issy Wong is likely to spearhead the bowling department. They had roped in the services of three Bengal domestic stars- Dhara Gujjar (top-order batter), Priyanka Bala (middle-order batter), and Saika Ishaque (slow left-arm spinner).
Fifteen-year-old spinning all-rounder, Sonam Yadav is the youngest cricketer of the WPL and will be featuring for the MI W.
Barring this, Yastika Bhatia, Pooja Vastrakar, and Amanjot Kaur are some of the capped Indian cricketers on the side.
Both sides will be in action for an enthralling contest and will look to start the season on a high.
Match Details
Date and Time: March 4, 8 PM IST
Venue: D.Y. Patil Stadium Sports Academy, Navi Mumbai
Live Broadcast & Streaming: Sports 18 and Jio Cinema
Pitch Report: The D.Y. Patil Sports Academy is known to be a high-scoring venue. The deck is known to sooth the batters as the spinners and pacers get less assistance. One of the best examples to cite was the first and second T20 between India Women and Australia Women in December, 2022. Dew does play a factor at the latter stages of a match at this venue.
Probable XIs
Mumbai Indians Women: Yastika Bhatia (wk), Hayley Matthews, Amelia Kerr, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Nat Sciver-Brunt, Priyanka Bala, Amanjot Kaur, Pooja Vastrakar, Jintimani Kalita, Saika Ishaque, Issy Wong
Gujarat Giants Women: Beth Mooney (c/wk), Sophia Dunkley, Shabbineni Meghana, Deandra Dottin, Harleen Deol, Ashleigh Gardner, Dayalan Hemalatha, Sneh Rana, Hurley Gala, Mansi Joshi, Tanuja Kanwar
Cricket Exchange Fantasy Tips
Wicket-Keepers: Beth Mooney
Batters: Sophia Dunkley, Amanjot Kaur, Harmanpreet Kaur
All-Rounders: Ashleigh Gardner, Amelia Kerr, Hayley Matthews, Nat Sciver-Brunt
Bowlers: Mansi Joshi, Jintimani Kalita, Pooja Vastrakar
Captain: Hayley Matthews
Vice-captain: Beth Mooney
Prediction
Despite having star-studded oversea cricketers, Mumbai Indians Women look like a better team on paper. They seem to have all the bases covered with depth in both the batting and bowling departments. Moreover, with advantages of home-like conditions, MI W should come on top.
 "Arijit Kundu")
