WPL 2023: A look at the Royal Challengers Bangalore squad
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) are seen as one of the favorites to clinch the inaugural Women's Premier League (WPL), starting March 4. Veteran Indian opener Smriti Mandhana will lead the team, and expectations from her are high. Sophie Devine, Ellyse Perry, Richa Ghosh, and Megan Schutt are the other players to watch out for in the squad. Here we decode RCB's squad.
Presenting RCB's squad for WPL 2023
RCB spent Rs. 11.9 crore to buy 18 players at the auction. A total of 12 Indians and six overseas players form the squad. Squad: Smriti Mandhana (Captain), Sophie Devine, Ellyse Perry, Renuka Singh, Richa Ghosh, Erin Burns, Disha Kasat, Indrani Roy, Asha Shobana, Kanika Ahuja, Dane van Niekerk, Preeti Bose, Poonam Khemnar, Komal Zanzad, Megan Schutt, Sahana Pawar, Heather Knight, Shreyanka Patil.
Mandhana is the most expensive buy
Mandhana emerged as the most-expensive player at the auction. The star Indian opener received a whopping Rs. 3.4 crore. Five-time Women's T20 World Cup winner, Perry bagged Rs. 1.70 crore. The all-rounder will accompany Knight (Rs. 40 lakh) and Devine (Rs. 50 lakh). RCB shelled out Rs. 1.50 crore to garner Renuka Singh. Richa Ghosh grabbed a deal worth Rs. 1.90 crore.
How Mandhana has fared as captain?
Mandhana was certainly a go-to option as the skipper of RCB. She owns a 6-5 win-loss record while leading India Women in WT20Is. The southpaw tallied 199 runs in these games at 24.87. She led the Trailblazers to glory in the 2019 Women's T20 Challenge.
Here are the key batters
With 2,802 runs in 116 games at 27.74, Mandhana is India's second-highest run-getter in Women's T20Is. Devine is the fifth-highest run-getter in the format, having amassed 2,969 runs in 119 appearances at 29.10. Ghosh has accumulated 563 runs in 35 games at a brilliant strike rate of 133.41. Knight and Perry own 1,583 runs at 23.62 and 1,535 runs at 30.7, respectively, in WT20Is.
Here are the key bowlers
With 122 wickets in 139 appearances, Perry is the fifth-highest wicket-taker in WT20Is (ER: 5.85). Schutt occupies the third spot on the same list with 124 wickets in 96 games (ER: 6.21). Pacer Renuka Singh has so far claimed 31 wickets in 32 WT20Is (ER: 6.43). Niekerk has scalped 65 wickets in 86 games in the format (ER: 5.45).
WPL 2023: A look at the key details
The inaugural WPL will see a total of 20 league matches being played across 23 days. RCB will kick-start their campaign against Meg Lanning's Delhi Capitals (DC). There will be two playoff matches - the Eliminator (on March 24) and the final (on March 26). Two venues in Mumbai (DY Patil Stadium and Cricket Club of India) will host 12 matches each.
