Gujarat Giants take on Royal Challengers Bangalore in the second game of the Delhi leg in the Women's Premier League (WPL) 2024 on Wednesday. Gujarat Giants Women are under pressure, having lost all of their four games so far. They faced a 25-run defeat against Delhi Capitals in their previous outing. Royal Challengers Bangalore Women, meanwhile, beat UP Warriorz by 23 runs in their last match. (Full Coverage|Schedule And Points Table)
Gujarat Giants Women have played four matches while Royal Challengers Bangalore have completed five games. The two teams earlier met in the fifth match of the tournament where Bangalore registered a comprehensive eight-wicket victory. As they meet once again, Gujarat will aim to avenge their defeat.
Beth Mooney's Gujarat Giants have Tanuja Kanwar and Meghna Singh, who have performed well with the ball. For the Royal Challengers Bangalore, skipper Smriti Mandhana is leading from the front with the bat. She is also the Orange Cap holder and played a brilliant knock in the last match.
Gujarat Giants vs Royal Challengers Bangalore Squads:
Gujarat Giants Women:
Beth Mooney (c & wk), Laura Wolvaardt, Phoebe Litchfield, Ashleigh Gardner, Veda Krishnamurthy, Dyalan Hemalatha, Kathryn Bryce, Tanuja Kanwar, Tarannum Pathan, Meghna Singh, Mannat Kashyap, Lea Tahuhu, Shabnam Shakil, Sayali Satghare, Priya Mishra, Trisha Poojitha, Harleen Deol, Sneh Rana
Royal Challengers Bangalore Women:
Smriti Mandhana (c), Sophie Devine, Sabbhineni Meghana, Ellyse Perry, Richa Ghosh (wk), Sophie Molineux, Georgia Wareham, Ekta Bisht, Simran Bahadur, Asha Sobhana, Renuka Singh, Shreyanka Patil, Kate Cross, Nadine de Klerk, Disha Kasat, Indrani Roy, Shubha Satheesh, Shraddha Pokharkar
The two teams will square off at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Wednesday, and here are three key player battles worth looking out for:
1. Smriti Mandhana vs Ashleigh Gardner
Smriti Mandhana is in excellent form, holding the orange cap, having scored 219 runs so far. She performed well against Gujarat in their last meeting. Ashleigh Gardner will look to stop the in-form Bangalore captain. Mandhana is known to have a weak spot against off-spin bowling, which will make this a key battle.
2. Beth Mooney vs Renuka Singh
Gujarat captain Beth Mooney is yet to hit her best form this season. Opening the batting, the onus will be on her to provide the team with a solid start. Renuka Singh dismissed her in their previous meeting and has a knack for picking up early wickets as well. The Bangalore pacer will be keen to get the better of the Gujarat captain once again.
3. Sophie Devine vs Meghna Singh
Sophie Devine is known for her hard and clean hitting. However, she is yet to fire with the bat for Bangalore in this edition. Batting at the top of the order, she will face a stiff challenge against Gujarat pacer Meghna Singh, who is in fine form, having picked up four wickets in her last match.
