Bengaluru, Feb 24 (IANS) UP Warriorz won the toss and elected to bowl first against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the ninth match at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Monday. For Bengaluru, Sneh Rana makes her debut, with Joshitha going out. Mandhana also confirmed Elyse Perry is available to bowl on Monday night. UP Warriorz will play with the same eleven.
While defending champions, RCB began their campaign with back-to-back wins, UP Warriorz had a rough start, losing their first two matches. However, their recent victory over Delhi Capitals Women have given them a much-needed boost, helping them register their first points on the table.
RCB, on the other hand, were in a commanding position to secure a third consecutive win against Mumbai Indians but fell short as the inaugural champions staged a comeback.
Meanwhile, UP Warriorz broke the prevailing trend of successful chases this season by defending their total against Delhi, ending a streak of seven consecutive wins for teams batting second.
UP Warriorz captain Deepti Sharma said, “We are going to bowl first. The ball moves in the power-play. We have the same mindset as the last game. The toss doesn’t matter much to me. The way we play our cricket matters more than anything else. We need to improve our fielding, we have had a discussion on the same. We are playing with the same XI.”
Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Smriti Mandhana said, “We would have loved to field first. Toss isn’t a big factor as there’s not much dew here at the Chinnaswamy. We would have loved to win the last game. In cricket, you start from the first ball. We have figured out a few things, and need to apply them in this match. We have one change, Rana comes in. Perry’s available to bowl a few overs.
Playing XIs:
Royal Challengers Bengaluru Women: Smriti Mandhana(c), Danielle Wyatt-Hodge, Ellyse Perry, Raghvi Bist, Richa Ghosh(w), Kanika Ahuja, Georgia Wareham, Kim Garth, Sneh Rana, Ekta Bisht, Renuka Singh Thakur
UP Warriorz Women: Kiran Navgire, Vrinda Dinesh, Deepti Sharma(c), Tahlia McGrath, Shweta Sehrawat, Grace Harris, Chinelle Henry, Uma Chetry(w), Sophie Ecclestone, Saima Thakor, Kranti Goud
–IANS
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