MI vs RCB, WPL 2023: 3 player battles to watch out for

Mumbai Indians (MI) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) couldn't have had more contrasting starts to their WPL 2023 campaign. While MI thumped the Gujarat Giants (GG) by 143 runs in Match 1, RCB lost to the Delhi Capitals (DC) by 60 runs in their tournament opening game.

The two teams are built differently as RCB have focused on having quality batters in their top five, while Mumbai have banked on having all-rounders and as much depth in their batting as possible. With world-class stars on both sides, it will be interesting to see who among Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana comes on top.

On that note, let's take a look at the three exciting match-ups in tonight's game:

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#3 Hayley Matthews vs Renuka Singh Thakur

Hayley Matthews was in the zone in Mumbai's opening game as she scored a quickfire 47 off 31 balls. Despite a slow start, Matthews was able to give some much-needed momentum to their innings with boundaries at regular intervals.

RCB will need to stop Matthews early on to avoid a flying start from Mumbai. For this, they will want their strike swing bowler Renuka Singh Thakur to step up. Hayley Matthews has scored just 15 runs from 18 balls off Thakur and has also been dismissed once.

If Renuka gets some swing and seam movement with the new ball, Matthews will need to be a bit careful as her wicket early on could be a huge blow for the Mumbai Indians.

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#2 Ellyse Perry vs Amelia Kerr

Ellyse Perry is arguably the most important batter for RCB in their middle order. She showed glimpses of what she is capable of against DC and will want to score big against the Mumbai Indians and give her team their first win of the season.

But playing against the Mumbai spinners will certainly not be easy, especially against wrist-spinner Amelia Kerr. The Kiwi leggie has tasted success against Perry in T20 cricket, conceding just 42 runs in 50 balls, and has also dismissed the Australian veteran thrice.

This trans-Tasman rivalry could well be another intriguing battle that will keep fans engaged.

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#1 Smriti Mandhana vs Nat Sciver

One of the main reasons why DC beat RCB convincingly was because they were able to dismiss skipper Smriti Mandhana just when she looked in the mood to take the game away from them.

This is something the Mumbai Indians will need to work on as they have a weapon in Nat Sciver-Brunt. The England star showed in the first game that she could be more than handy with the new ball and captain Harmanpreet Kaur would want her to strike early against Mandhana.

The southpaw has scored 79 runs in just 66 balls off Sciver's bowling in T20Is. However, the bowler has also dismissed the Indian vice-captain on four occasions. This makes it a pretty even battle to look forward to.