WPL 2024 Harmanpreet Kaur vs Smriti Mandhana: Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bangalore date, venue and time

India vice-captain Smriti Mandhana and captain Harmanpreet Kaur will find themselves on opposing sides, for RCB vs MI, on March 2, 2024.

Harmanpreet Kaur vs Smriti Mandhana – it doesn’t get any bigger at the Women’s Premier League (WPL), does it? The two superstars of women’s cricket, and the captain and vice-captain of the Indian team, respectively, will square off against each other in the ninth match of the second edition of the WPL as Harmanpreet’s Mumbai Indians take on Mandhana’s Royal Challengers Bangalore at Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium on March 2, Saturday. The toss will take place at 7pm India time and the first ball is scheduled for 7:30pm.

WPL 2024 Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bangalore: Recent form

With two wins from three games apiece, there’s little to separate the two teams, except the net run-rate (NRR). The Royal Challengers Bangalore are currently placed second, with their NRR reading 0.705 while the Mumbai Indians are in third place with an NRR of -0.0182.

Mumbai, for whom Saturday’s fixture will be their last league game in Bengaluru, are coming off a seven-wicket defeat to the UP Warriorz after winning their first two games. The Royal Challengers, too, suffered their first loss of the season in their last fixture – against the Delhi Capitals on Thursday – losing by 25 runs chasing 195.

WPL 2024 Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bangalore: Players to watch

Smriti Mandhana registered her maiden WPL 50 at long last, against the Delhi Capitals. Though her 43-ball 74 was in vain, her on-side onslaught stood out in particular, as the star opener followed up her 13 and 43 from the first two matches to go atop the run-scorer’s list with 130 runs at an average of 43.33 and strike rate of 160.49 to clinch the Orange Cap after Thursday’s fixture.

In WPL, the Orange Cap is given to the highest run scorer.

It was not long ago when Harmanpreet Kaur herself had donned the Orange Cap. She missed out Mumbai’s last game due to a niggle, with Natalie Sciver-Brunt standing in as captain, but Harmanpreet’s 101 runs at an average of 101 and strike rate of 134.66 - courtesy of two unbeaten 50s - is indication enough of the form she is in.

WPL 2024 Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bangalore: Squads

MI: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Amanjot Kaur, Amelia Kerr, Chloe Tryon, Hayley Matthews, Humaira Kazi, Issy Wong, Jintimani Kalita, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Pooja Vastrakar, Priyanka Bala, Saika Ishaque, Yastika Bhatia, Shabnim Ismail, S. Sajana, Amandeep Kaur, Fatima Jaer, and SB Keerthana

RCB: Smriti Mandhana (c), Asha Shobana, Disha Kasat, Ellyse Perry, Nadine de Klerk, Indrani Roy, Shradda Pokharkar, Renuka Singh, Richa Ghosh, Shreyanka Patil, Sophie Devine, Georgia Wareham, Kate Cross, Ekta Bisht, Shubha Satheesh, S Meghana, Simran Bahadur, Sophie Molineux

WPL 2024 Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bangalore: Coaches

MI: Charlotte Edwards (England)

RCB: Luke Williams (Australia)