WPL 2023: Best playing 11 of Week 2 ft. Harmanpreet Kaur, Ellyse Perry

Another engrossing week in WPL 2023 has seen the points table take interesting shape. Some things haven't changed - such as Mumbai Indians (MI) remaining unbeaten - while the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have managed to notch up their first points.

With six matches to go in the league phase, we know that MI are through to the knockouts while Delhi Capitals (DC) are just one win away. For all practical purposes, it is a three-way shootout at the moment between RCB, Gujarat Giants (GG) and UP Warriorz (UPW) to progress further.

The remaining games are all set to be played in the form of double-headers. Week 2 of WPL 2023 once again saw a number of individuals putting their hands up and making a statement.

With those performances in mind, we try forming the best playing XI from the week gone by in WPL 2023:

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Openers - Yastika Bhatia (wk) and Ellyse Perry

With each outing for the Mumbai Indians, Yastika Bhatia continues to showcase the work she has put in to expand her range as a T20 batter.

While her 37-ball 44 against Gujarat Giants wasn't as fluent as her 27-ball 42 against UP Warriorz, she has been an unsung star for MI at the top of the order, while also being tidy with the wicket-keeping gloves.

Ellyse Perry stuttered for large parts of her innings against the Capitals, but flicked a switch to finish with a 52-ball 67 that gave RCB a score to play with.

She backed it up with four decent overs before picking up 3/16 in the next game against UPW. While she has been batting in the middle-order in WPL 2023, she can comfortably slot into the opener's role as well.

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Middle-Order - Natalie Sciver-Brunt, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Kanika Ahuja, Ashleigh Gardner and Richa Ghosh

The middle order is headlined once again by Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, who has been in sublime form for MI.

Back-to-back half-centuries against UPW and GG set the game up for her side, with the second one in particular standing out given that it wasn't the easiest track to bat on.

Along the expected lines, Natalie Sciver-Brunt has continued to make useful contributions across departments in WPL 2023.

Apart from an unbeaten 45 in the chase against the Warriorz, she scored a pivotal 36 against the Giants before following it up with a three-wicket burst.

Kanika Ahuja grabbed all the headlines with her panache to power RCB to their first win of WPL 2023, as she waltzed to a 30-ball 46 to make a tricky chase look comfortable.

She is also the lone left-handed batter in this playing XI, while her teammate Richa Ghosh slots in at No. 7 on the back of a stoic unbeaten 31 against the Warriorz, and a blistering unbeaten 37 off 16 deliveries against the Capitals.

Sandwiched in between is Australia's star all-rounder Ashleigh Gardner, who has finally shown signs of her best form in the tournament.

After a forgettable first leg against DC, she snared five wickets across the next two games while her stellar unbeaten 51 off 33 deliveries set the tone for the Giants' second win of the tournament.

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Bowlers - Marizanne Kapp, Shikha Pandey, Asha Sobhana and Saika Ishaque

Marizanne Kapp bowled undoubtedly the best spell of the tournament, blowing the Giants' top order out of the water with her prodigious swing.

Apart from bagging 5/15 in that game, she turned in crucial batting contributions in the two matches that followed and it was her dismissal that brought the Capitals' hopes to a close in the return game against GG.

Shikha Pandey was silently efficient for DC in the first week of WPL 2023 but she made heads turn with back-to-back three-wicket hauls in the week that went by. She will partner Kapp with the new ball in this playing XI too, with Sciver-Brunt and Perry as the support seamers.

Two uncapped Indian spinners round off this lineup, with Saika Ishaque and Asha Sobhana complementing the off-spin of Gardner in a well-rounded attack. Leg-spinner Sobhana picked up a brace of wickets in both games that RCB played in the week gone by with her guile and drop standing out.

Ishaque's dream run in WPL 2023 continued, with her double-whammy to remove the set Alyssa Healy and Tahlia McGrath paving the way for an MI comeback. She went wicketless in the game that followed but was economical, while she also continues to wear the Purple Cap.

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Best playing XI from Week 2 of WPL 2023: Yastika Bhatia (wk), Ellyse Perry, Natalie Sciver-Brunt, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Kanika Ahuja, Ashleigh Gardner, Richa Ghosh, Marizanne Kapp, Shikha Pandey, Asha Sobhana, Saika Ishaque

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Who according to you was the best player in Week 2 of WPL 2023? Have your say in the comments section below!

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