Vadodara, Jan 26 (NationPress) Amelia Kerr, a leg-spin bowling all-rounder, has stepped in for the injured Nicola Carey in the Mumbai Indians squad. This change comes as the Royal Challengers Bengaluru won the toss and chose to bowl first during the 2026 WPL match at the BCA Stadium on Monday.

The RCB team has already secured a spot in the playoffs, despite their winning run being interrupted by a defeat to DC. Meanwhile, MI is still in the race for the playoffs, holding two wins from six matches, largely due to their superior net run rate. The two teams previously clashed in the tournament's opening match, where RCB narrowly triumphed over MI on the final delivery at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.

After the toss, RCB captain Smriti Mandhana confirmed no changes to her playing eleven. “Dew has significantly influenced conditions at Baroda, with the pitch behaving differently in nearly every match. As a batting unit, it’s crucial to know what to anticipate. We’ve learned a lot, especially regarding batting, quickly assessing and understanding situations as a top order, and determining what our par score should be, which will be vital moving forward in the tournament.

“We also need to bowl and field accurately, which we executed excellently in our first five matches. Although we faced a setback last game, we are keen to correct those errors.

“Our recent experiences have taught us that we cannot assume the pitch will play a certain way based on prior matches, as it has varied each game. We’ll need to observe the initial overs, adapt, and maintain strong communication,” she stated.

On the other hand, Kerr replaces Carey, who sustained a minor injury while batting against DC and managed to bowl only one over. “Considering the conditions and past match performances, we opted to bowl first. Regardless of the scenario, this match is crucial for us.

“Approaching the game with positivity is essential today; that’s the priority. We’ve shared valuable time and conducted constructive meetings. We are hopeful that our discussions and training over the past few days will translate into our performance on the field. This is an essential game, and we’re putting forth our best eleven to play positive cricket,” she concluded.

Playing XIs:

Mumbai Indians: Sajeevan Sajana, Hayley Matthews, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Amelia Kerr, Amanjot Kaur, Sanskriti Gupta, Poonam Khemnar, Rahila Firdous (wk), Shabnim Ismail, and Vaishnavi Sharma.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Grace Harris, Smriti Mandhana (captain), Georgia Voll, Gautami Naik, Richa Ghosh (wk), Radha Yadav, Nadine de Klerk, Sayali Satghare, Arundhati Reddy, Shreyanka Patil, and Lauren Bell.