Women's IPL 2020: SWOT Analysis of the Supernovas

The Supernovas will be gunning for their third successive Women's IPL 2020 title when they take on Velocity in the opening match of the Women’s T20 Challenge.

The four-match tournament is all set to begin tomorrow at the Sharjah Cricket Ground.

The inaugural game is a repeat of last year's summit clash where the Supernovas clinched the title in a grueling encounter. Led by skipper, Harmanpreet Kaur, the reigning champions have been the most consistent team in the history of the tournament.

The team will be heavily reliant on their bowling unit as they gear up for this mega event.

Here is the detailed analysis of the squad for this tournament:

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Strength - The spinners

Radha Yadav will be the key for the Supernovas. Image Credit - IPL

Supernovas clearly have the best bowling unit in the Women's IPL 2020 with four world-class spinners -- Poonam Yadav, Anuja Patil, Radha Yadav along with the Sri Lankan veteran, Shashikala Siriwardene.

With immense amount of experience and exposure at the international level, the spinners will be key players for Supernovas.

While the Sharjah Cricket Ground is smaller in size as compared to the other grounds in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, the wicket is relatively on the slower side and will aid the bowling unit of the team.

Poonam Yadav, the star performer for the Indian team in the recent World T20 tournament will look to exploit the conditions.

Her slow leg-spin along with her ability to consistently pitch the ball in the right areas will be key during the middle overs.

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Weakness - Lack of experience in the middle order

Harmanpreet Kaur will be a key player for the Supernovas. Image Credit - IPL

The batting unit of the Supernovas is heavily reliant on Harmanpreet Kaur and young batting sensation, Jemimah Rodrigues to take up the responsibility of scoring the majority of the runs for the team.

Rodrigues was the player of the series in the last edition of the Women's T20 Challenge and will look to replicate her performance in the upcoming season as well. However, Harmanpreet Kaur's form is a big concern for the team. The hard-hitting batswoman did not enjoy a great run during India's campaign in the World T20 held in Australia, earlier this year.

Apart from the duo, the middle-order lacks stability, mainly due to the lack of experience and quality in the batting line-up.

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Opportunity - Emergence of young Indian all-rounders

Pooja Vastrakar in action for the Supernovas. Image credits - BCCI

The Indian pace bowling duo -- Pooja Vastrakar and Arundhati Reddy, will be keen to use the tournament as an ideal opportunity to put on good performances and cement their place in the Indian team.

While Vastrakar has been struggling with injuries in her short international career, Reddy on the other hand has been guilty of some inconsistent performances.

With Jhulan Goswami in the far end of her career, the Indian team will need to find good quality pace bowlers and this tournament will be crucial for these players who are on the verge of getting selected for the national team.

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Threat - Lack of firepower at the end of the innings of Women's IPL 2020

The team will need an all-round effort from Anuja Patil. Image Credit - IPL

One of the biggest concerns for Harmanpreet Kaur and the team management of the Supernovas, is the lack of finishers on their side. Barring the captain herself, the middle order lacks the firepower required in the end of the innings.

The team comprises of plenty of all-rounders but there aren't any viable options for the finisher's role. This could cost the team in their attempt to defend the title.