🏏WPL 2023: DC Women vs RCB Women : Match 11🏏

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🏏WPL 2023:DC Women vs RCB Women : Match 11🏏

Royal Challengers Bangalore have tried everything - altering combinations, batting order, bowling change ups - but half their campaign dusted, and they still don't have points to show for it. 

Nothing seems to have clicked for the Smriti Mandhana-led team, so maybe a change of scenery will?

After four defeats in as many games at the Brabourne, RCB head to DY Patil for the beginning of the second half of their season still searching for an ideal combination, a way to plug the free-flow of runs and a solid partnership that can lend some middle-overs stability. 

Sophie Devine and Ellyse Perry have begun to find their touch while Heather Knight has chipped in both with the bat and ball on a regular basis, but their Indian contingent has lacked consistency. 

Renuka Thakur's figures are worrisome, so is Richa Ghosh's calling between the wickets and Mandhana's tendency to get out to slower bowlers - three to off-spin and one to left-arm spin - has made planning for an early breakthrough a tad easier for oppositions.

Not all is doom and gloom, though, for uncapped all-rounders like Shreyanka Patil and Kanika Ahuja have found ways to give the team some fleeting moments of joy. 

RCB though are still searching for that one collective effort that can get them off the mark. Into the must-win territory already, time is running out for them.

 RCB and Delhi Capitals clashed in their season opener offering the first glimpse of one of the most destructive partnerships in the competition. 

Shafali Verma and Meg Lanning - at the opposite ends of their individual careers - have gelled together so well for the Capitals that the duo have already amassed 344 partnership runs. 

This alliance continues to be the bedrock of their success in the tournament.

A fight from RCB would be nice. There's plenty of runs still in the DY pitches if the batters apply themselves. Meanwhile, a cloudy day is in store, but no rain intervention is on the cards.

Barring the lopsided contest against Mumbai Indians, where they were humbled by 8 wickets, Capitals have beaten the remaining three oppositions convincingly. 

Lanning & Co. would now be eyeing a double against RCB, piling more misery on them to consolidate their second spot in the standings.

Except for the game against MI, half of Delhi's batting hasn't really been tested so far in the competition. They brought in Laura Harris for Alice Capsey last game to lengthen their batting order a tad but didn't require her services. Besides that swap back, that'll give them an extra spin option, DC don't really need tweaks.

Probable XI: Meg Lanning (C), Shafali Verma, Marizanne Kapp, Jemimah Rodrigues, Alice Capsey/Laura Harris, Jess Jonassen, Taniya Bhatia (wk), Minnu Mani, Shikha Pandey, Radha Yadav, Tara Norris

Royal Challengers Bangalore:

Only 2 of RCB's squad of 18 remain uncapped at the halfway stage, one of which confirmed international retirement over the weekend. If they indeed give Dane van Niekerk a go, RCB would not add variety to their spin department but also add an experienced batter to beef up their middle-order.

Probable XI: Smriti Mandhana (C), Sophie Devine, Ellyse Perry, Heather Knight, Richa Ghosh (wk), Dane van Niekerk/Erin Burns, Shreyanka Patil, Kanika Ahuja, Sahana Pawar, Komal Zanzad, Renuka Thakur

Thanks for the tag Madhu.🤗

I don't like to see any team with zero points at this stage.  For the sake of it, I wish RCB wins the match today.

Cheers..

Delhi Capitals:

Except for the game against MI, half of Delhi's batting hasn't really been tested so far in the competition. They brought in Laura Harris for Alice Capsey last game to lengthen their batting order a tad but didn't require her services. Besides that swap back, that'll give them an extra spin option, DC don't really need tweaks.

Probable XI: Meg Lanning (C), Shafali Verma, Marizanne Kapp, Jemimah Rodrigues, Alice Capsey/Laura Harris, Jess Jonassen, Taniya Bhatia (wk), Minnu Mani, Shikha Pandey, Radha Yadav, Tara Norris

Royal Challengers Bangalore:

Only 2 of RCB's squad of 18 remain uncapped at the halfway stage, one of which confirmed international retirement over the weekend. If they indeed give Dane van Niekerk a go, RCB would not add variety to their spin department but also add an experienced batter to beef up their middle-order.

Probable XI: Smriti Mandhana (C), Sophie Devine, Ellyse Perry, Heather Knight, Richa Ghosh (wk), Dane van Niekerk/Erin Burns, Shreyanka Patil, Kanika Ahuja, Sahana Pawar, Komal Zanzad, Renuka Thakur

What they said?

"That was a pretty cool show to watch from the other end. I was just cheerleading from the other end. Some of the best hitting I've seen. I said just keep it simple. Stay still and hit the ball straight. I'm still to get over it. It seemed like a new ball wicket. We just had to make sure what we had to do. Shafali didn't make it look very difficult" - Meg Lanning on Shafali Verma's blistering knock against GG.

"In the last four games it's been happening. We start well and then lose a cluster of wickets. I take the blame as well. Need to get runs on the board for the bowlers to defend" - Smriti Mandhana on RCB's middle-overs woes.

Be it with the bat or with the ball, nothing has worked well so far for the Bangalore-based franchise and that’s a massive reason to worry about. 

They have signed some of the top-notch cricketers in the auction but hardly anyone of them has impressed so far. In their last match against UP Warriorz, they suffered a massive 10-wicket defeat and things are not looking well for the side. 

Thus, they need to strategise well and the senior players need to take a lot of responsibility as Bangalore desperately needs a win in order to stay alive in the competition .

Coming to Delhi, the Meg Lanning-led side has been pretty good so far. Other than their game against Mumbai Indians, they have managed to win all the other three matches and courtesy of which, they are currently second on the points table. 

Notably, in their first game of the season, they completely out-skilled RCB and won the match by 60 runs and thus, they know the recipe to win against Bangalore

Pitch Report:

Batters will get a lot of assistance from the pitch and thus, a high-scoring game is expected. Anything above 170 runs will be good on this wicket. Meanwhile, the captain winning the toss should elect to bat first.

This content was originally posted by: la_Reine

RCB😭

 Four defeats to start the league and RCB women find themselves in a situation which is usually associated with the men's team. They need to win all their games to stay alive and for that the bowling needs to be sorted out, twice in four games they have conceded 200+ totals and in the other two, teams chased down targets of 156 and 139 in 14.2 and 13 overs respectively. 

The batting too has not fired in unison, Smriti has not got going and some of the others haven't converted their starts. Delhi Capitals roared back after an embarrassing defeat against MI and thrashed Gujarat Giants. 

Kapp got her mojo back with the ball, while Shafali lit up the chase. The last time when these two sides met, DC recorded the highest total in the competition. Can RCB break their losing streak? 

Pitch and Conditions: "When I look at this stadium I think there's a lovely coverage of grass right around. There's a slight difference in terms of dimensions, 5-6 meters between the two square boundaries. The pitch is firm and it has a nice coverage of grass as well. 

I get excited because it brings the seamers into play and Kapp bowled superbly on this. Kapp used her variations quite well and was rewarded for it. I think she's going to exploit that tonight as she has found the weakness on this pitch. 

Batters will need to apply themselves, spending time will be important. It might not be about the spinners as much tonight as about the seamers, particularly in the first six overs," reckon Mel Jones and Stacy Ann-King.