Vadodara: Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) won the toss and elected to field first against the Gujarat Giants in the opening game of Women’s Premier League (WPL) Season 3 at the Kodambi Stadium here on Friday. The Smriti Mandhana-led side has a lot of support inside the stadium, despite playing against the home side, and at the toss, the skipper joked that it seemed like she was playing at her ‘home ground’.
“It’s good to be back in Baroda. We were here a month back. I thought it was going to be Gujarat’s home ground but looks like it is our home ground. We would like to bowl first. Dew is a big factor so it is better to have a few overs out before dew comes in. We had good practice sessions, preparation has been good,” said Smriti at the toss.
Gujarat Giants on the other hand are being led by a new face in Ashleigh Gardner and are a relatively fresh side with five players — Priya Mishra, Kashvee Gautam, Sayali Satghare, Deandra Dottin, and Simran Shaikh — making their debut. “We were going to bowl as well but that’s okay. We have built a good rapport with the Gujarat girls. We have got youth and experience in our team. Excited to get started. Five debutants”, said Gardner.
The first leg of the WPL 2025 began in Vadodara and will see the Kotambi Stadium host a total of six matches before the action shifts to Bengaluru. The caravan will then travel to Ekana Stadium in Lucknow, as it makes its debut as a WPL venue by playing host to four games.
The final leg of WPL 2025 will be held at the iconic Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai. Brabourne will also host the eliminator between the second and third-placed teams on March 13. It will be followed by the title clash scheduled on March 15.
Playing XI’s:
Gujarat Giants: Laura Wolvaardt, Beth Mooney (wk), Dayalan Hemalatha, Ashleigh Gardner (c), Deandra Dottin, Harleen Deol, Simran Shaikh, Tanuja Kanwar, Sayali Satghare, Priya Mishra, Kashvee Gautam
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Smriti Mandhana(c), Danielle Wyatt-Hodge, Ellyse Perry, Raghvi Bist, Richa Ghosh (wk), Kanika Ahuja, Georgia Wareham, Kim Garth, Prema Rawat, Joshitha V.J, Renuka Thakur Singh.
(IANS)
