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The Royal Challengers Bangalore will go up against the inaugural edition’s runner-ups Delhi Capitals in the seventh game of the ongoing Women’s Premier League (WPL). The game will be played on Thursday, February 29, at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
While RCB are backed with two wins and are the only unbeaten side in the tournament, DC regained their mojo and bounced back to win their second game of the season against UP Warriorz (UPW) after losing the first against Mumbai Indians (MI).
Smriti Mandhana-led RCB have shown massive improvement this year. After finishing fourth with a mere four points from eight games last year, they have managed to beat the likes of UPW and Gujarat Giants (GG) to lead the points table.
Meg Lanning-led DC clinched a massive nine-wicket win in their previous game against UPW. Chasing a 120-run target, the skipper and her opening partner Shafali Verma shared a humungous 119-run partnership, eventually levelling the scores in the 15th over.
Lanning’s unfortunate dismissal spoilt DC’s plans of clinching a 10-wicket win. After her dismissal on the second ball of the 15th over, Jemimah Rodrigues hit a boundary on the third delivery to finish off the chase and close the deal.
As the two in-form teams gear up to cross swords, let’s have a look at the combined playing XI of RCB and DC for WPL 2024:
Top Order: Meg Lanning (c), Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana
Delhi Capitals openers Meg Lanning and Shafali Verma would be the top-choice openers for this combined XI. Given their exploits with the bat in this role so far, throughout the two editions, and the shared understanding, they’d wreak havoc.
In DC’s recent game against UPW, Lanning and Verma stitched a magnificent 119-run opening partnership while chasing a 120-run target. They showcased similar partnerships in the tournament’s inaugural edition and are currently the finest opening pair.
RCB skipper Smriti Mandhana has also been in good touch. She got her team’s chase going but failed to convert her start into a big score in the first game against UPW. In the second match against GG, Mandhana notched up a 27-ball 43 and took her side close to the finish line during the chase.
Middle-Order: Sabbhineni Meghana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wk)
Sabbhineni Meghana made her way into the RCB camp after being released from GG ahead of the WPL 2024 auction. After a forgettable outing in the inaugural edition, Meghana is having a season to remember and has contributed well in both of RCB’s wins.
Jemimah Rodrigues has been in great form with the bat, having notched up 46 runs in two matches so far. She played a key role in the first game against MI, scoring 42 off 24 deliveries to help her side post 171 runs on the board. She also scored the winning runs in the second game against UPW.
Richa Ghosh did not get an opportunity to bat in RCB’s recently concluded game against GG, but was phenomenal in their campaign opener against UPW. The wicketkeeper-batter notched up 62 runs in a winning cause and has also been brilliant with the gloves behind the stumps.
All-rounders: Alice Capsey, Ellyse Perry, Marizanne Kapp
Both sides have some of the finest all-rounders from around the world. Alice Capsey was phenomenal with both bat and ball in DC’s first game against MI but could not take her side over the finish line. Capsey has 75 runs from the one innings that she has batted in and has picked up two wickets.
RCB all-rounder Ellyse Perry played a crucial role in her team’s recent win against GG. Though she has not found the right momentum with the ball, Perry scored a quick-fire 14-ball 23*, studded with four boundaries, to complete the chase and help register RCB their second win.
Marizanne Kapp is one of the finest new-ball bowlers in world cricket, and she has been at her best in the tournament this season too. In DC’s recently concluded game against UPW, Kapp registered match-winning figures of 3/5 in her four-over spell, dismissing the opposition’s entire top-order lineup of Alyssa Healy, Vrinda Dinesh, and Tahlia McGrath.
Bowlers: Radha Yadav, Renuka Thakur
Radha Yadav was on a roll against UPW and registered figures of 4/20 in four overs to help her side restrict the opposition to a mere 119 in the first innings. After Marizanne Kapp’s carnage in the powerplay, Yadav took charge and dismissed the likes of Grace Harris, Shweta Sehrawat, Kiran Navgire and Sophie Ecclestone.
Renuka Singh is also a fine new-ball bowler and showed her prowess in the game against GG. She managed to fulfill her long-standing dream of dismissing GG skipper and Australian star Beth Mooney and also picked up Phoebe Litchfield’s wicket to register 2/14 in four overs. She won the Player of the Match award for her solid performance.
