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A crucial clash beckons for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), whose playoff hopes will be on the line when they meet the Delhi Capitals (DC) in Match 17 of the 2024 Women's Premier League (WPL) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday, March 10.
With three wins and as many losses, RCB are currently placed third in the standings. Following the UP Warriorz' recent upset over the Capitals, Bangalore can't afford to slip up in their last two games of the league stage.
Concerningly for them, RCB will be up against the two teams above them in the WPL 2024 standings. The first one is in the form of DC, who fell to a shock loss to UPW despite being in control for large parts of the chase. With four wins from six matches, Delhi have clearly been one of the teams to watch out for this year.
The head-to-head record between the two sides is telling. DC have won all three of their meetings against RCB, and all three by convincing margins at that. In the reverse fixture, Marizanne Kapp's all-round show trumped Smriti Mandhana's sensational 74 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
Can RCB boost their playoff hopes by beating a strong DC outfit? Or will the Capitals return to the top of the WPL 2024 points table?
WPL 2024, Match 17: Playoff spot on the line for RCB
S Meghana's presence at the top of the order is working against RCB's fortunes, with the slow opener getting stuck in the early stages of the game quite often. Moreover, with the 27-year-old being a terrible runner between the wickets, Bangalore's middle order has had immense pressure put on them.
It remains to be seen if RCB persist with Meghana alongside Smriti Mandhana or bring Sophie Devine back to her ideal position in the shortest format. Nevertheless, irrespective of who they field, countering Marizanne Kapp, who is expected to return to the DC XI, won't be an easy task.
At the other end of the spectrum is Renuka Singh Thakur, who has picked up only two wickets in six matches in WPL 2024. That's a marginal improvement on her 2023 returns, which read one scalp in six games.
Although Renuka's economy rate has gotten better this year, there has been nothing in her bowling to suggest that she will be able to get the better of Meg Lanning and Shafali Verma. While she will always be in the contest if she swings the ball, the DC openers have been the key to their team's success so far.
Delhi have a strong middle order as well, but what really clinches the deal for them is their bowling attack. With the pacers and spinners firing in unison, Lanning has been able to rotate her options well and keep the opposition batters on their toes.
RCB are an unpredictable team known to raise their game in unprecedented ways and are certainly in with a chance of winning on Sunday. However, DC are the clear favorites, based on how they have played so far in WPL 2024.
Prediction: DC to win Match 17 of WPL 2024.
