Delhi Capitals seek all-round show against RCB in WPL playoff race
Delhi Capitals will require a strong all-round effort to stop an in-form Royal Challengers Bengaluru on their tracks to stay alive in the race to the Women’s Premier League(WPL) playoffs, on Saturday. Capitals showed signs of resurgence with a seven-wicket win over the Mumbai Indians in their previous match, moving to fourth place in the table with four points.
But DC will have to raise their game by another notch to beat the Royal Challengers, still unbeaten in this edition of the WPL. So far, Delhi’s batting has been led by veteran Lizelle Lee (213 runs), with Laura Wolvaardt (123) and Shafali Verma (149) giving her occasional support. But the form of Jemimah Rodrigues was a matter of concern.
Rodrigues made an unbeaten fifty in the win over Mumbai to ease the worries to an extent, and she will have to chip in against RCB with another substantial innings. DC also has some gaps to plug in the bowling department. Despite having some fancied names, their bowling so far has been led by uncapped pacer Nandani Sharma.
The Chandigarh girl has taken 10 wickets from five matches at an acceptable economy of 8.7. But India spinner Shree Charani (7 wickets, economy: 9.2) and Sneh Rana (1 wicket, economy: 12.4) are yet to hit their straps. Even veteran South African pacer Marizanne Kapp (4 wickets) has not yet produced the yields, though her economy rate of 5.25 has been top-notch.
The DC bowlers will have to be at their very best against an RCB line-up, bristling with experience and firepower. Skipper Smriti Mandhana and Grace Harris have been a power-packed presence at the top, while Nadine de Klerk and Richa Ghosh have, as usual, propped up the middle and lower-order.
The rise of Gautami Naik, who made a fine 73 against Gujarat Giants, too, has added to RCB’s batting muscle. The former champions’ bowling too has been in top shape with Sayali Satghare, De Klerk, Laurene Bell and Shreyanka Patil affecting regular strikes.
Their economy too has been astounding - 8, 6.9, 5.4 and 8.9 in that order across five matches. Having already qualified for the playoffs with 10 points, RCB will be eager to register another win to remain atop the table and move closer to a direct final entry.
Teams (from):
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Smriti Mandhana (c), Richa Ghosh, Shreyanka Patil, Georgia Voll, Nadine de Klerk, Radha Yadav, Lauren Bell, Linsey Smith, Prema Rawat, Arundhati Reddy, Pooja Vastrakar, Grace Harris, Gautami Naik, Prathyoosha Kumar, D. Hemalatha, Sayali Satghare.
Delhi Capitals: Jemimah Rodrigues (c), Shafali Verma, Marzianne Kapp, Niki Prasad, Laura Wolvaardt, Chinelle Henry, Shree Charani, Sneh Rana, Lizelle Lee, Deeya Yadav, Taniyaa Bhatia, Mamatha Madiwala, Nandni Sharma, Lucy Hamilton, Minnu Mani, Alana King.
