Women's Premier League 2024
5 star players who are underperforming for Bangalore in WTL 2023
The inaugural season of the Women’s T20 League is moving towards its second part as most of the teams have played four games each and will play each other again in the upcoming days. However, this tournament has been disastrous for Smriti Mandhana-led Bangalore as they have failed to win a single game till now. They performed very poorly in the tournament and lost the first four games.
Notably, after the auction, Bangalore looked to be the most powerful team but their performances so far haven’t lived up to that. Today, in this article, we will discuss those top five players who underperformed and have been a liability for Bangalore:
1. Smriti Mandhana
Smriti Mandhana (Source: Twitter)
This could be a shocking name on the list but it is the biggest concern for the franchise. Star India batter Smriti Mandhana has delivered mediocre performances throughout the tournament. Be it batting or leading the team, Smriti’s performance has let fans down. Mandhana failed to hold nerves against Harmanpreet Kaur led-Mumbai.
In four innings till now, Bangalore skipper has scored just 80 runs at an average of 20 with 35 being her highest score. She is one of the most important links in Bangalore’s batting line-up but the skipper has failed to give the team solid starts thus far in the competition. Although, talking about her captaincy, it is safe to say that she has been very poor in crunch situations. She panicked at crucial times and let the game move out of hand.
2. Richa Ghosh:
Richa Ghosh (Source: Twitter)
Star India wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh has been phenomenal in International cricket but failed to replicate her performance in the Women’s T20 League. In the ongoing tournament, Ghosh has been in very poor form as she failed to strengthen the middle order. She failed to create partnerships with any player to rescue her team from critical conditions.
In the inaugural season of the Women’s T20 League, Ghosh scored just 41 runs in four matches at an average of 10.25 with 28 being her highest score. She has been mediocre behind the wickets, too, and it is safe to say that she is a liability for Bangalore.
3. Renuka Thakur Singh
Renuka Thakur (Source: Twitter)
Star India pacer Renuka Thakur Singh has been India’s go-to bowler in the, recently concluded, Women’s 20-20 World Cup. In the world cup, she clinched seven wickets in five games in South Africa. Although, She failed to replicate her performance in the ongoing Women’s Premier league.
Putting up a bizarre performance, Renuka barely managed to clinch a wicket in the last four games. She took just one wicket in four games and failed to restrict the opposition from scoring runs. The 27-year-old pacer has been one of the biggest concerns for Bangalore. She was expected to fire when Bangalore’s bowling is relatively weak in the tournament.
4. Heather Knight
Heather knight: (Image Source: Twitter)
The England skipper Heather Knight is a top-order batter who can bowl off-spin too. She is one of the most experienced players in Bangalore’s dressing room. Although, she has great experience, Knight has failed to impress the audience and win a game for Bangalore.
In four matches, she has scored only 66 runs at an average of 22 with 34 being her highest score. She has a great strike rate of 188 but failed to deliver in crunch situations. Talking about her bowling, Knight has been used a little less by the captain. However, she has clinched four wickets in 4 games with an economy rate of 11.
5. Sophie Devine
Sophie Devine (Source: Twitter)
New Zealand skipper Sophie Devine is one of the finest batting all-rounders in the world. She has a phenomenal record in international cricket and can be termed as one of the best batters in this batting line-up. Although, she has been able to put up a better performance than other batters, she has failed to convert quick starts into big knocks.
In four matches, Sophie has scored 132 runs at an average of 33 with 66 being her highest score. She has been the best batter for Bangalore till now but this performance hasn’t resulted in wins for the team. She had quick starts but failed to hold her nerves in critical situations. Meanwhile, captain Smriti Mandhana has also failed to use her cleverly.
