🏏WPL 2026, Match-9, RCB W vs GG W. Dr DY Patil Stadium. Navi Mumbai🏏 - Page 2

Gardner is no stranger to bowling with the new ball. In the WPL alone, she has bowled 29 overs in the powerplay with an economy of 7.00. In fact, she has come on early on each of the three occasions she has dismissed Mandhana in the WPL. Just to attack Mandhana with offspin early on, UP Warriorz had opened the bowling with Deepti Sharma, but Grace Harris ended up facing her and hit her for two fours in the over that went for nine.

Whether that success in ODIs helps Mandhana take on her nemesis Gardner in T20 cricket will come to light on the penultimate day of the Navi Mumbai leg of the WPL. Both RCB and GG being on four points each - the latter playing one game more - only adds to the narrative.

In the spotlight: Bharti Fulmali and Arundhati Reddy

Two sixes in seven balls, three fours and three sixes in 15 balls - Bharti Fulmali has so far had the desired effect for GG batting in the lower middle-order. It is her power-hitting that they tapped into even last season, and she has come into WPL 2026 with some form in that department, too. Her 12 sixes for Vidarbha in the Senior Women's T20 Trophy were the fourth-most in the competition. She scored 176 in seven innings at a strike-rate of 157.14 batting in the middle order. A few of these impactful knocks and she could be part of the T20 World Cup conversations.

Arundhati Reddy may be wicketless in WPL 2026 so far but she has managed to quietly leave her mark with the ball. She has been used across the three phases and has used her variations well to keep things in RCB's control. She has bowled five overs in the middle overs where she has an economy of 5.20 in this year, and against GG her control could be crucial against a line-up featuring some of the most powerful hitters of the cricket ball.

Key stats

• Sophie Devine has bowled three overs in the powerplay this season. But against RCB, GG could have a rethink. While she has dismissed Grace Harris four times in 15 innings in T20 cricket, Harris has scored 111 off 77 balls she has faced from Devine. Mandhana, too, has scored 103 off the 74 balls she has faced off Devine for three dismissals in T20 cricket.

• Lauren Bell has been key for RCB in setting the tone early. Against GG, she will be up against Beth Mooney, who has scored 123 runs from the 77 balls that she has faced against Bell in ten T20 innings. Bell hasn't dismissed her in T20 cricket as well as in ODIs.

• However, Bell has dismissed Mooney's opening partner Devine two times in four innings in T20s. Devine has scored 18 off the 12 balls she has faced from the RCB quick.

Thanks for the tag Madhu.

May the best team win.

Cheers..

Both are coming from an high! Both of them will be ready to get yet another win in the kitty! Will be a power packed perfomance.

Thanks for the tag. Best of luck to both the teams :)

Before we get to the toss, here is Katey Martin's pitch report: "[On why teams choose to bowl at DY Patil Stadium] The wicket actually changes during innings and during the twilight period you see a lot more swing. And it's actually spun a bit. As the dew comes in a little bit later, it's quite wet on the outfield and it creates a nice sheen and the ball skids on. So i think teams go 'you know what? The wicket gets better, the outfield is lightning fast and small boundaries. So let's just go with it. Have a bowl first and try and restrict the batting first team.' I think 180-plus is a bare minimum batting first here. I think 200 tends to be a winning score. We've seen Lauren Bell get some outstanding swing at the top so it might be the fact that you score a lot more at the back end of the innings. Because of her height and her ability to shape the ball both away and now also back in means she's going to be a real handful here. She'll love to be able to have the new ball with the twilight sky and get it swinging. So you bat first, you got to put 180 bare minimum to try and give your bowlers something that doesn't get too much in the second innings."

Wicketkeeper batter Shivani Singh has been handed a cap in the GG camp, so she's set for her WPL debut.

Right then, the two skippers are out in the middle and it's toss time..

Gujarat Giants Women have won the toss and have opted to field