Preview: IPL Trailblazers vs IPL Supernovas
What
Women’s T20 Challenge match between IPL Trailblazers and IPL Supernovas
When
22 May 2018, 1400Hrs IST.
Where
Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
What they said
The captains of the two teams shared similar sentiments, expressing excitement at the opportunity to play in an IPL-style format, even if it was just for one match. Harmanpreet Kaur, captain of IPL Supernovas, said, “We are very excited and were waiting for a long time to play an IPL like tournament. We are happy that we have got an opportunity tomorrow and hopefully, we will get a good match.”
Smriti Mandhana, captain of IPL Trailblazers, said, “This is the first ever match we will be playing with foreign players on Indian soil. Everyone is excited to be part of this historical moment. We all are looking forward to expressing ourselves in front of an audience.”
Suzie Bates, the Whiteferns captain and a member of the IPL Trailblazers side, was very excited about the opportunity to showcase and promote the women’s game. Looking forward to a keen contest, Bates said, “It’s a one-off game. We get one opportunity to showcase the women’s game and T20 cricket. (But) I know every player tomorrow is going to want to do their best.”
Preview
The Women’s T20 Challenge, devised at promoting Women’s cricket in India, will be played at the Wankhede Stadium on May 22. Featuring some of the best players from around the world, the match will be a 20-over contest between IPL Trailblazers and IPL Supernovas. The Indian batter Smriti Mandhana will lead the Trailblazers, while the Indian T20 captain Harmanpreet Kaur will captain the Supernovas.
The Trailblazers’ batting plans will revolve around their captain Mandhana, the Whiteferns captain Suzie Bates and the talented Indian teenager Jemimah Rodrigues.
Mandhana has been in sensational form with the bat this year. The 21-year old was the team’s top run-getter in three of India’s last four international assignments; she scored 181 runs in the 3-match ODI series against England, 131 runs in the 3-match ODI series against Australia and amassed 219 runs in the 3-match ODI series in South Africa.
Suzie Bates, the second-ranked batter in the ICC T20 Batting rankings for women, has been in sparkling form with the bat in recent times; only a fortnight ago, she smashed 148 in a one-day match. The teenage sensation Jemimah Rodrigues, who not too long ago became the youngest Indian to score a half-century in T20 internationals, is also one to watch out for.
Mithali Raj, Meg Lanning, Harmanpreet Kaur and Sophie Devine make up for a formidable Supernovas batting line-up. Mithali and Harmanpreet are India’s highest run-getters in the T20 format, while Lanning is the third-ranked batter in the ICC T20 Batting rankings for women
Both teams have a good balance of pace and spin in their bowling line-up. The Trailblazers’ Jhulan Goswami and Shikha Pandey will be expected to do damage with the new ball before the likes of Ekta Bisht (left-arm spin) and Poonam Yadav (leg-spin) can strangle the batters later in the innings. For the Supernovas, Megan Schutt – the top-ranked bowler in the ICC T20 Bowling rankings for women – will be expected to strike big, before the spinners Anuja Patil (off-spin) and Rajeshwari Gayakwad (left-arm spin) can apply the choke.
Squads:
IPL Trailblazers: Alyssa Healy, Smriti Mandhana (c), Suzie Bates, Deepti Sharma, Beth Mooney, Jemimah Rodrigues, Danielle Hazell, Shikha Pandey, Lea Tahuhu, Jhulan Goswami, Ekta Bisht, Poonam Yadav, Dayalan Hemalatha.
IPL Supernovas: Danielle Wyatt, Mithali Raj, Meg Lanning, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Sophie Devine, Ellyse Perry, Veda Krishnamurthy, Mona Meshram, Pooja Vastrakar, Megan Schutt, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Anuja Patil, Taniya Bhatia.