Lauren Bell at the peak of her performance is swiftly turning into a nightmare for the hitters in the Women’s Premier League (WPL). The high pacer has already bowled out the finest hitters of the tournament and is still ready to do more as the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are driving for a place in the Final.
The 2024 champions have won their last five matches in a row and have made a record of being the team with the most consecutive wins in the tournament. Two amongst several players contributing greatly to it, are Nadine de Klerk and Lauren Bell.
The South African all-rounder began the tournament with a feast of runs against the defending champions but has now assumed control with the ball. Nadine de Klerk is now the purple cap holder in the tournament with ten wickets to her name.
After receiving her cap post the game against Gujarat Giants, De Klerk talked about how Lauren Bell has been making their job easier by taking big wickets in the first few overs. In their last match against the Delhi Capitals, Bell and Sayali Satghare got rid of the top-order with stunning bowling.
“It’s really easy to go on after Bell has opened the bowling the way she has. She’s taken some of the big hitters up front this season and it’s easier for me. Just keeping it nice and simple and trying to back up the other bowlers,” said Nadine de Klerk on Lauren Bell.
How RCB Have Fantastically Utilized Lauren Bell
To be frank, when RCB lined up against the Mumbai Indians in the season opener, their selection did not make much of an impression on the majority. The Smriti Mandhana-led squad did not possess any batting strength at all.
But in the last five games each player of the playing XI has almost always shown up in the crucial moments which is a hallmark of a great team. To put it in perspective, until now five different players have been awarded as the ‘Player of the Match’, which clearly shows that the team is not depending on only one or two players.
Then, here comes the twist! Lauren Bell, in spite of her great performance with the ball, has not been proclaimed as the ‘Player of the Match’ even once. But it does not mean anything less for the way Mandhana has utilized her in this tournament.
When Bell has been very good in the powerplay sometimes, the RCB captain has not been afraid to let her bowl the entire spell of four overs right away. And most of the time, the choice has been a winner. The English fast bowler has a great advantage of her height and also has a nice release point and seam position.