Delhi Capitals (DC) face Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at M Chinnaswamy Stadium after a strong win against Mumbai Indians. DC leads the table with eight points from six games, bolstered by excellent bowling and fielding, notably from players like Annabel Sutherland and Jemimah Rodrigues. In contrast, RCB, suffering a three-match home losing streak, seeks answers for their struggling batting, heavily reliant on Ellyse Perry. Captain Smriti Mandhana’s poor form adds to their woes. Despite recent changes in their lineup, RCB aims to energize their home crowd before moving to Lucknow, while DC is set to maintain their successful combination.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) vs Delhi Capitals (DC)
M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, 7.30pm IST
RCB has suffered defeats in their last three home games, with the loss to Gujarat Giants—where they only managed 125 for 7—impacting them the most, as stated by captain Smriti Mandhana post-match. Several questions linger as they head into this match: Is the batting order overly reliant on Ellyse Perry? Are they feeling the absence of their spin trio Asha Sobhana, Sophie Molineux, and Shreyanka Patil, who were pivotal bowlers at Chinnaswamy last year? Is Mandhana’s underwhelming form having a larger impact than anticipated? RCB needs to find answers quickly and provide their home fans with something to cheer about one last time this season before departing for the Lucknow leg.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru LLL (last three matches, most recent first)
Delhi Capitals WWL
RCB made a single change in the last match, reintroducing legspinner Prema Rawat in place of left-arm spinner Ekta Bisht. However, Rawat bowled only one over and gave away 19 runs.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (probable XI): 1 Smriti Mandhana (capt), 2 Danni Wyatt-Hodge, 3 Ellyse Perry, 4 Raghvi Bisht, 5 Richa Ghosh (wk), 6 Kanika Ahuja, 7 Georgia Wareham, 8 Sneh Rana, 9 Kim Garth, 10 Prema Rawat/ Ekta Bisht, 11 Renuka Singh
DC is expected to stick with their winning lineup.
Delhi Capitals (probable XI): 1 Meg Lanning (capt), 2 Shafali Verma, 3 Jemimah Rodrigues, 4 Annabel Sutherland, 5 Marizanne Kapp, 6 Sarah Bryce (wk), 7 Jess Jonassen, 8 Niki Prasad, 9 Minnu Mani, 10 Titas Sadhu, 11 Shikha Pandey
Whether with ball or bat, Minnu Mani demonstrated her prowess in the match against MI. After delivering a quiet 12th over, she struck a double blow to Mumbai in the 17th, taking out S Sajana and Amelia Kerr. She returned in the 19th over to dismiss Sansriti Gupta, ending with impressive figures of 3 for 17 from three overs on a challenging pitch. Her breathtaking one-handed stop in the 13th over to prevent a boundary showcased why she is regarded as one of the premier fielders in the league. Despite bowling only 14 overs over five matches and claiming five wickets, DC will likely seek to maximize her bowling contributions, aiming for her to bowl her full quota, which has only occurred in two games this season.
Georgia Wareham rebounded effectively after conceding 50 runs in her season debut, claiming nine wickets across five matches thus far. She secured two vital wickets against the Giants by dismissing Harleen Deol and top-scorer Ashleigh Gardner, although it came a bit too late. Having previously played at No. 3 for Australia, where she even scored a half-century, RCB could utilize her as a middle-order floater in the event of early wickets.