RCB Women Team. (Photo Source: Twitter)
Delhi Capitals will take the stage alongside Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 11th match of the inaugural season of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) on Monday, March 13 at the Dr. DY Patil Sports Academy. RCB have had a horrid campaign in the marquee tournament thus far and are yet to register a win after four matches.
RCB will need to display mental fortitude to get themselves out of the dire situation. As they bid to put up a complete performance against Meg Lanning & Co. on Monday, let us look at the playing XI they can come up with.
Here is Royal Challengers Bangalore’s predicted XI for the match against Delhi Capitals
Openers: Smriti Mandhana (c), Sophie Devine
Smriti Mandhana. (Photo Source: JioCinema)
Royal Challengers Bangalore have the experienced duo of Smriti Mandhana and Sophie Devine as their opening combination. Mandhana is one of the finest opening batters in world cricket at the moment. However, she has been far from her best in the marquee tournament so far.
The RCB skipper has featured in four matches and has managed to accumulate only 80 runs at a strike rate of 133.33. Mandhana’s poor form has been one of the reasons behind Bangalore’s dismal showing in the T20 extravaganza. She would look to bring her A-game into play in the coming clash.
Talking about Devine, the ace batter has done a decent job in WPL 2023. She has piled on 132 runs in four games at a strike rate of 145.05. However, she has failed to convert starts into substantial scores on a consistent basis. Sophie would look to put up a show with the bat in the encounter against Delhi.
Middle Order: Richa Ghosh (wk), Kanika Ahuja
Richa Ghosh. (Photo Source: Twitter/WPL)
Royal Challengers Bangalore have the services of Richa Ghosh and Kanika Ahuja in the middle order. Richa has been a game-changer with the bat and has played many blistering knocks for the Women in Blue. The 19-year-old has featured in 35 T20Is and scored 563 runs at a strike rate of 133.41.
However, Richa has been a pale shadow of her vintage self in the ongoing edition of the WPL. She has managed to score only 41 runs in four games at a strike rate of 100.00. The wicketkeeper-batter would look to turn the tables in the forthcoming clash and finish the games for RCB on a high.
Coming to Kanika, the southpaw has shown glimpses of brilliance in the marquee tournament. However, she has been not been able to have a big score under her name and has managed only 40 runs in four matches at a strike rate of 129.03. The 20-year-old would be eager to put up an improved batting display on Monday.
All-rounders: Ellyse Perry, Heather Knight, Shreyanka Patil, Erin Burns
Ellyse Perry and Heather Knight (Photo Source : Twitter)
Royal Challengers Bangalore have many all-rounders in the mix to bring balance to the side. They have in their ranks Ellyse Perry, who is one of the best in business. She has fared well in the high-profile competition thus far and notched up 128 runs in four games at a strike rate of 142.22.
Also, RCB have Heather Knight in their arsenal who has been a proven performer in the international arena. The ace all-rounder has smashed 66 runs in four games at a strike rate of 188.57 and bagged four wickets for her side. She would be eager to display her class in the encounter against Lanning & Co.
Besides Knight and Perry, the Bangalore franchise has the likes of Shreyanka Patil and Erin Burns in the team. Though Patil has been decent with the bat, scoring 49 runs in three games at a strike rate of 168.96, she has been mediocre with the ball and conceded runs at an economy of 11.11.
Erin too has not been able to set the WPL 2023 ablaze yet with her showings. Both the all-rounders would be itching to make a mark with their performances in the forthcoming encounter.
Bowlers: Sahana Pawar, Komal Zanzad, Renuka Singh Thakur
Renuka Singh. (Photo Source: Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images)
Royal Challengers Bangalore have Renuka Singh Thakur at their disposal. She has been India’s premier pacer across formats recently. The 27-year-old has featured in 32 T20Is and bagged 31 wickets at an economy of 6.43. In the ODIs, she has bagged 18 scalps in seven games at an economy of 4.62.
Renuka is known to rattle batters with her swing and wreak havoc with the ball. However, she has not been able to weave her magic in WPL 2023. She has featured in four matches and managed to pick only one wicket at an economy of 9.00. The ace pacer would look to show her bowling might on Monday and dismantle Delhi’s batting line-up.
RCB played Komal Zanzad and Sahana Pawar in their previous game to bolster their bowling unit. However, they failed to impress and leaked runs at an economy of 11.00 each. Despite the same, the team management is likely to back them for the upcoming game and the duo would look to deliver the goods with the ball.
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