Gujarat Giants vs RCB Women Match Preview- WPL 2024, Match 13

Gujarat Giants take on RCB Women in the reverse fixture of WPL 2024 in Delhi. This is the first match for both teams in Delhi. The Delhi leg started on March 5 and this is the second match of the remaining phase of the tournament. 

Date and Venue

The Gujarat Giants vs RCB Women WPL 2024 match will be played on March 6 in Delhi starting from 7.30- pm IST. All of Gujarat’s remaining matches are must-win for them to stay alive in the tournament. 

Team Analysis- Gujarat Giants vs RCB Women Match Preview- WPL 2024, Match 13

Gujarat Giants 

The Giants won just two matches last season and are winless so far in the tournament. Nothing has worked in terms of strategies for the Mithali Raj-led management.

Beth Mooney took over the captaincy from Sneh Rana but has failed to change the fortunes of the team. With the bat, she has scored just 60 runs from five matches with no fifty-plus scores so far in the tournament. 

None of the overseas specialists have delivered so far for the side. The Indian players too have not been able to perform for the highest level. The likes of Veda Krishnamurthy and Harleen Deol, two of India women’s best batting talent have been rather quiet in the tournament so far.

With backs against the wall, the team needs to win all their remaining matches of the Delhi leg and even that might not be enough to take them through to the playoffs. The management has been guilty of not identifying the strengths of the players and building a playing XI accordingly.

Gujarat Giants Squad 

Beth Mooney (C), Ashleigh Gardner, Dayalan Hemalatha, Harleen Deol, Laura Wolvaardt, Shabnam Shakil, Sneh Rana, Tanuja Kanwar, Phoebe Litchfield, Meghna Singh, Trisha Poojitha, Sayali Sathgare, Priya Mishra, Lea Tahuhu, Kathryn Bryce, Mannat Kashyap, Veda Krishnamurthy, Tarannum Pathan

Also Read: “We feel we have 10 runs more” – Smriti Mandhana shares love for Bangalore crowd

Royal Challengers Bangalore Women

RCB are led by Smriti Mandhana. They defeated Gujarat Giants and UP Warriorz in the Bengaluru leg and lost against the top two teams, Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians women.

The franchise has looked a much better unit than last season. Mandhana scored her first WPL fifty in the match against UP. The other batters have been batting around her. 

The likes of Asha Sobhana and Renuk Singh have been amongst the wickets. Ellyse Perry, Sophie Molineux, Georgia Wareham, and Sophie Devine have been the overseas specialists within the side. All of them have brought their experience to the fore.

The tough part now for them is to win against big teams like Delhi and Mumbai. The side has a lot of depth and potential in the side and they need to realize that in this second leg of WPL 2024. 

RCB Women Squad 

Smriti Mandhana (C), Asha Shobana, Disha Kasat, Ellyse Perry, Nadine de Klerk, Indrani Roy, Shradda Pokharkar, Renuka Singh, Richa Ghosh, Shreyanka Patil, Sophie Devine, Georgia Wareham, Kate Cross, Ekta Bisht, Shubha Satheesh, S Meghana, Simran Bahadur, Sophie Molineux

Key Battles

Smriti Mandhana vs Ashleigh Gardner

Mandhana scored 43 in the previous match against Gujarat Giants. She is known to have weaknesses against spin bowling and off-spin more particularly. This is what makes the battle interesting. 

Beth Mooney vs Renuka Singh 

Mooney will have to face Renuka Singh as he will open the batting for the Gujarat Giants. She dismissed her in the previous game getting her caught and bowled and will be eyeing the skipper’s wicket once again. 

Key Players

For RCB Women, skipper Smriti Mandhana, Sophie Devine, Elysse Perry, and Indian bowlers Renuka Singh and Asha Shobana are the key players. 

For Gujarat Giants, Beth Mooney, Laura Wolvaardt, Veda Krishnamurthy and Ashleigh Gardner are key players with the bat. With the ball, Sneh Rana, Tanuja Kanwar, and Meghna Singh are key players. 

Weather and Pitch

The weather conditions will be much cooler in Delhi than what it was in Bengaluru. The temperature in the evening will be around 15 degrees.

There is no chance of rain and the pitch will be more suited to spinners than the pacers. Teams here might prefer batting first as the spinners can make it difficult to chase down targets. 

Conclusion

RCB Women defeated the Gujarat Giants in the Bengaluru leg. Here in Delhi, they will be looking to make it two out of two against Gujarat. Another loss for the Gujarat Giants would virtually end their hopes of the playoffs.

Also Read: UP Warriorz Women vs RCB Women Head-to-Head Records- WPL 2024, Match 11