WPL 2023: Match 3 UP-W vs GUJ-W Preview, Playing XI, Live Streaming Details & Updates

UP Warriorz will take on Gujarat Giants in their opening match of the WPL 2023 on Sunday.

Published - 04 Mar 2023, 21:55 IST | Updated - 04 Mar 2023, 18:56 IST

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The UP Warriorz will begin its Women’s Premier League (WPL) campaign against Gujarat Giants. The clash is set to be held on March 5, Sunday at the Dr. DY Patil Sports Academy in Mumbai. This will be Gujarat Giants’ second match as they are locking horns with Mumbai Indians Women led by Harmanpreet Kaur in the curtain raiser of the inaugural Women’s T20 competition in India.

Both teams will aim for a win in the clash to set the tone in the first-ever WPL season. Both UP and Gujarat have a bunch of impressive players whom they acquired during the WPL Player Auction. While Beth Mooney will be at the helm of the Gujarat Giants, Alyssa Healy will lead the UP Warriorz.

While many of UP's cricketers are yet to set foot on the Dr. DY Patil Stadium, Gujarat Giants will carry that advantage of having played in the same stadium on two consecutive days, thus developing a better idea about how the pitch plays. After their game against Mumbai, they will be in a better position to comprehend the pitch. On the contrary, UP Warriorz will have the advantage of coming into the game with fresh blood whereas Gujarat will have to make its second appearance within less than 24 hours of finishing the first.

Warriorz feature the much talked-about player Kiran Navgire, apart from the regular suspects like Alyssa Healy, Sophie Ecclestone, Tahlia McGrath and Deepti Sharma. Gujarat Giants have a strong batting core comprising skipper Beth Mooney, explosive Deandra Dottin and Harleen Deol.

March 5 will also see the first double-header of the ongoing season with Royal Challengers Bangalore going up against Delhi Capitals in the afternoon match.

Pitch and Conditions

The pitch of Dr. DY Patil Stadium, traditionally considered to be a good track for batting, is expected to see high scoring affairs with both the teams piling up huge scores to entertain the viewers. Only two T20I matches between India Women and Australia Women have so far been played at this stadium, where the average first innings score was recored to be 179.

Probable Playing XI for UP-W vs GUJ-W

UP Warriorz

UP Warriorz skipper Alyssa Healy has scripted a good track-record playing in Mumbai. She led Australia in the absence of Meg Lanning, to a 4-1 win in the bilateral series against India in Mumbai, last December. She was also a part of the Australia squad that was recently crowned T20 World Cup champions. All-rounder Deepti Sharma, for whom it has been a home-coming, will serve as the team’s vice-captain.

UP Warriorz predicted XI: Alyssa Healy (c & wk), Shweta Sehrawat, Tahlia McGrath, Kiran Navgire, Devika Vaidya, Deepti Sharma, Shabnim Ismail, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Anjali Sarvani, Sophie Ecclestone, S Yashasri

Gujarat Giants

The Gujarat Giants is captained by Australia’s star batter Beth Mooney who is coming out of a scintillating stint in the recently concluded World T20. She played a pivotal role in the T20 World Cup final, smashing 74* off 53 to lead her side to win the title for the third consecutive year. The Perth Scorchers player also has three WBBL titles to her name. India all-rounder Sneh Rana will be her deputy.

Gujarat Giants predicted XI: Beth Mooney (c & wk), Sophia Dunkley, Ashleigh Gardner, Sushma Verma, Deandra Dottin, Ashwani Kumari, Harleen Deol, Sneh Rana, Mansi Joshi, Monica Patel, Tanuja Kanwar