‘Smriti Mandhana should score one 50 at least’ - Aakash Chopra speaks ahead of RCB's last game of WPL 2023

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will lock horns with Mumbai Indians (MI) in the penultimate league stage game of the 2023 Women’s Premier League (WPL). The match will be played at the  Dr. DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai on Tuesday, March 21. Meanwhile, UP Warriorz will take on Delhi Capitals at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on the same day. 

Former India opening batter Aakash Chopra hopes that RCB skipper Smriti Mandhana will live up to her reputation in the team's final match of the WPL, and feels that the India vice-captain should end her half-century drought in the match against MI. Notably, the 26-year-old has scored only 125 runs from the seven matches that RCB have played so far.

"Sophie Devine - she is batting amazingly well. Smriti Mandhana - she should score one 50 at least, it has not happened until now. Hayley Matthews will be in front of her here as well, but it will be good if she scores runs,” Chopra said while previewing RCB vs MI clash on the "AakashVani" show on JioCinema.

The 45-year-old pointed out that RCB have two of the top run-getters- opener Sophie Devine and allrounder Ellyse Perry, but the team is not successful due to the poor performances from the bowlers. Notably, no RCB bowlers have picked up more than five wickets in the tournament. 

"Ellyse Perry has scored runs there. In fact, if you talk about the top five run-getters, you will see Sophie Devine and Ellyse Perry, but the team didn't reach anywhere because they have not picked up wickets,” Chopra added.

‘There are a lot of advantages of finishing at No. 1’ - Aakash Chopra wants MI to finish on top

Aakash Chopra wants Mumbai Indians to win the match against RCB and finish at the top of the WPL points table. Notably, Harmanpreet and Co, who already booked their spot in the playoffs after winning five consecutive matches, will be coming off loses from their previous two games. Two defeats on the trot resulted in the team dropping down to the second place in the points table.

"Mumbai need to register a win because you have lost two consecutive matches. It will be better if you register a win with a good margin so that you can ask Delhi to win with a bigger margin in the last game. There are a lot of advantages of finishing at No. 1,” Chopra said. 

"In any case, you don't want to go to the playoffs or the eliminator with three back-to-back losses. To avoid that, you will have to play better cricket, which you have not done in the last two matches. It is still a fantastic team, so I am expecting them to play well,” he concluded.

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