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Fantasy: Take a punt on new-ball bowlers

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Last updated on 15 Mar 2023 | 07:50 AM
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Fantasy: Take a punt on new-ball bowlers

Here are a few tips that could help you create your fantasy XI for Match 13 of the WPL 2023

The 13th game of the season will see the Royal Challengers Bangalore & UP Warriorz fight it out at the DY Patil Stadium. 

Pitch and Conditions

DY Patil has been a lot less scarier for bowlers than Brabourne. They have conceded runs at 8.1 RPO and taken a wicket every 18 balls. The corresponding number for Brabourne stand at 9.4 and 21. 

Also, it’s mainly been pacers making the ball talk, taking wickets around 33% more frequently than the spinners. In the six WPL games so far at DY Patil, teams chasing have won four. However, batters have struggled to play the new ball, even more so in the first innings. 

Teams chasing have won the last three games here. Powerplay in the first innings has been the most difficult phase to bat it, with teams registering scores of 31/5, 29/2, and 29/1 in the last the three games, as opposed to scores of 87/0, 47/0, 52/2 in the second innings. Expect this trend to continue in this game as well. 

Suggested Team

While you could go for the above team, you can also choose your team from Cricket.com’s Fantasy Research Centre. You can use this tool to build your team with the help of algorithms. Then, based on your preferences, the platform will guide you through creating the ideal fantasy XI.

Captaincy Suggestions

For small leagues: Alyssa Healy (C), Ellyse Perry (VC)

For grand leagues: Smriti Mandhana (C), Megan Schutt (VC)

Stats That Matter

Outside Sophie Ecclestone, none of the UP bowlers have managed to maintain an economy rate of below 8 and have been conceding way too many runs.

Deepti Sharma has been going through a poor run in WPL 2023, having taken just 5 wickets in 4 matches while conceding at an economy of 8.6. Even with the bat, she has failed to cross the 20-run mark in her last 5 WT20 innings and has scored only a total of 4 boundaries in these 5 innings. 

Ecclestone has her namesake Sophie Devine’s number. Devine has gotten out to her four times in nine innings and averages just 7 while striking at 72. She’d also gotten out to her in the reverse encounter. 

Despite her current form, Smriti Mandhana has a good record in batting against UP’s leading wicket-taker, Ecclestone, in WT20s and would be RCB’s best bet for countering the English bowler.

While Alyssa Healy did give a match-winning performance in the reverse fixture, her overall numbers vs RCB bowlers are fairly mediocre. She averages 19 & strikes at around 106 against them. With their bowlers, barring Renuka, coming up with a good performance in the previous game, RCB will look to exploit this. 

Grand League Punts

Mandhana has had a very underwhelming WPL so far, but tomorrow might just be her day. DY Patil has assisted pacers more, and spinners have usually played second fiddle. Also, Deepti, who hasn’t been at her best, is her only negative matchup. If she can weather the new ball early on, she has it in her to switch gears & lead RCB to an above-par total.

Megan Schutt had her first decent outing last game. She got the new ball to move & kept Marizanne Kapp and Jess Jonassen quiet towards the end as well. With this game also being played at the same venue, expect her to cause a few more problems for the misfiring UPW batters, especially the domestic ones. 

Predicted XIs

RCB - Smriti Mandhana (C), Sophie Devine, Ellyse Perry, Heather Knight, Disha Kasat, Richa Ghosh (WK), Kanika Ahuja, Shreyanka Patil, Megan Schutt, Asha Shobhana, Renuka Thakur.

UPW - Alyssa Healy (C & WK), Devika Vaidya, Kiran Navgire, Tahlia McGrath, Deepti Sharma, Simran Shaikh, Shweta Sehrawat, Sophie Ecclestone, Shabnim Ismail, Anjali Sarvani, Rajeshwari Gayakwad.

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