What is going wrong with RCB Women in WPL 2023?
The inaugural edition of the WPL 2023 has been proven very engaging with the help of cricket fans, and players so far. Mumbai Indians Women WPL team showed their dominance by winning the first 3 matches convincingly. But on the other side, the Royal Challengers Bangalore Women’s team which is also abbreviated as RCBW lost their first 4 matches in the ongoing tournament.
RCBW looked very strong on paper after the WPL 2023 auctions and was also considered one of the contenders to win the WPL 2023 trophy are currently at the bottom of the points table with a -2.65 NRR so far. As of now, they are not out of the tournament and still, they can come back strongly in the remaining 4 league matches.
Let’s have a brief look at where they exactly went wrong in WPL 2023 so far:
1. Smriti Mandhana vs Spin
Smriti Mandhana was dismissed 3 times by the spinners including off-spinners 2 times, she also looked in hurry to use the powerplay effectively but most of the time she ended by offering her wicket only. Instead of this approach, she could take some time to settle first because, on the other side, her opening partner Sophie Devine was making use of the powerplay very well.
2. Unsettled Middle Oder
Since their first game, RCB Women have not seen a fixed middle order it seemed like they were not sure whom to send when and where. Sometimes, Richa Gosh was sent at number 5, 6, and 8 positions, also Megan Schutt was sent at 8 and 9 positions. They need to be clear with their middle order who will play the anchor role and the finishing as well.
With this kind of unsettled approach, RCB had to suffer severe batting collapses in the middle 7-15 overs phase after good starts. They are the only team who has lost the most wickets as well during the middle overs so far in WPL 2023.
3. Bowling in Power Play
They have got Renuka Singh who is one of the best power-play bowlers in their Squad but, they have not utilized her as per her skills. She has bowled 12 overs in the 4 matches including just 6 overs in the powerplay only. In one game they used more than 4 bowlers in the powerplay only.
4. Short Bowling Spells
A T20 game is already a short form of cricket so if a specialist bowler has not been provided with a 2-over or a 3-over spell, it will be difficult for a bowler to find the rhythm to put pressure on a batter, and a bowler with a specialist skill should not be stopped if she concedes some runs as well. It clearly shows the trust of the captain while backing a bowler.
5. Captaincy
In the end, it all comes to the captain and how she uses the players, she should also know the strengths of her team members and how to get the best out of her teammates as well.
The WPL 2023 tournament is still left with RCBW’s 4 league games and the fans are also waiting for a good comeback as well.
