The in-form Royal Challengers Bangalore will go head-to-head against Meg Lanning-led Delhi Capitals in match 7 of the Women's Premier League 2024 on February 29, Thursday at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Smriti Mandhana's side have won two out of two games in the WPL 2024 and will look to the scalp of DC and make it three wins in a row. (More Cricket News)
In RCB's opening game, they faced UP Warriorz and backed a raucous home crowd, the women in Red did not dissapoint. RCB put up a fighting total of 157/6 thanks to a blistering knock of Richa Ghosh (62 off 37 balls). In reply, Sobhana Asha's five-for (5/22) wrecked UP's batting order as they fell short by two runs to hand a superb victory to Mandhana-led side.
RCB beat Gujarat Giants in their second match of the tournament by eight wickets as Mandhana's side kept the winning momentum going. As for Delhi Capitals, the last year's runners-up lost the opening game to Mumbai Indians by four wickets but bounced back against UP Warriorz with a stellar nine-wicket win.
As these two sides collide in match 7 of the WPL 2024, here are the key battles for this enciting fixture:
1) Meg Lanning vs Asha Sobhana
Former Australia women's captain Meg Lanning might have hung up her international boots but the star batter still possesses quality and oozes class whenever she is at the crease. Lanning has been at her level best so far in the tourney but expect her to be when her team requires the most. Her tussle against Asha Sobhana could be a fiesty affair given the latter's performance against UP Warriorz where she scalped five wickets. Sobhana is a crafty bowler and if Lanning is to give her side the perfect start, she would have to deal with Sobhana's line and length.
2) Marizanne Kapp vs Renuka Singh
South Africa's Marizanne Kapp is a powerhouse with the bat and ball and DC's batting looks all or more lethal when is in the playing XI. Kapp has still not hit the high numbers yet in the tournament but the last season's runners-up will look towards the Proteas star to provide the fireworks. RCB's Renuka Singh Thakur was in prime form in their fixture against Gujarat Giants where she troubled the opposing batters with pace and swing. "Renuka has been incredible in both games and playing against her for India, she's just so reliable and it's great to be on the same team as her. She swings the ball beautifully at the front and I think she's really set the tone for us in both games," Sophie Molineux said of her teammate.
3) Jemimah Rodrigues vs Ellyse Perry
In this battle between two quality players in the T20 format, DC's Jemimah Rodrigues will look to get the better of Aussie all-rounder Ellyse Perry when these two lock horns on Feb 29 in the Women's Premier League 2024 fixture. Perry has not hit the heights yet in the tournament as with her opponent Rodrigues. The tournament is still in it's early stages but either of them, will look to settle the contest and hand their side a win in this WPL fixture in Bengaluru.
Squads:
Delhi Capitals: Alice Capsey, Arundhati Reddy, Jemimah Rodrigues, Jess Jonassen, Laura Harris, Marizanne Kapp, Meg Lanning, Minnu Mani, Poonam Yadav, Radha Yadav, Shafali Verma, Shikha Pandey, Sneha Deepthi, Taniya Bhatia, Titas Sadhu, Annabel Sutherland, Aparna Mondal, Ashwani Kumari.
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Asha Shobana, Disha Kasat, Ellyse Perry, Heather Knight (withdrawn), Indrani Roy, Kanika Ahuja, Renuka Singh, Richa Ghosh, Shreyanka Patil, Smriti Mandhana, Sophie Devine, Georgia Wareham, Kate Cross, Ekta Bisht, Shubha Satheesh, S Meghana, Simran Bahadur, Sophie Molineux
