Gujarat Giants (GG) will lock horns with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in their third match of the inaugural Women’s Premier League (WPL) at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on Wednesday, March 8.
Under the tutelage of mentor Mithali Raj and head coach Rachael Haynes, the Giants will aim to bounce back quickly after suffering a narrow defeat against the UP Warriorz on Sunday.
Defending a target of 170, the Giants had restricted the Warriorz to 105/7 in 15.4 overs before a 70-run match-winning partnership between Grace Harris (59 not out) and Sophie Ecclestone (22 not out) guided the Warriorz to a thrilling last-over win.
Earlier, Harleen Deol’s 46 runs off 32 balls along with contributions from Sabbhineni Meghana (24), Ashleigh Gardner (25) and Dayalan Hemalatha (21 not out) powered the Giants to a competitive total of 169/6 in their allotted 20 overs.
The Giants had a difficult start to their WPL campaign after succumbing to a 143-run loss against the Mumbai Indians in their opening fixture of the tournament.
Come Wednesday, the team will bank on in-form Hemalatha to turn things around against RCB. The 28-year-old has scored 50 runs in two WPL matches at an impressive strike rate of 138.88.
In the bowling department, Irish-Australian fast bowler Kim Garth made a sensational debut for the Giants against the Warriorz. The 26-year-old pacer bagged five wickets for 36 runs in her four overs.
On the other hand, the Smriti Mandhana-led RCB have struggled in WPL 2023 so far.
The Bangalore-based franchise is coming from a nine-wicket defeat against the Mumbai Indians at the Brabourne Stadium on Monday. RCB had also lost their opening game to Delhi Capitals by 60 runs.
For RCB, captain Mandhana and star all-rounder Ellyse Perry will be the players to watch out for. While the RCB skipper has accumulated 58 runs in two matches at a strike rate of 145, Perry has contributed 44 runs at a strike rate of 169.23.
Meanwhile, the Giants will be aiming to bring their A-game against RCB to secure their first victory in the WPL on Wednesday. The GG vs RCB match will start at 7:30 PM Indian Standard Time (IST).
