Gujarat Giants. (Photo Source: Twitter/WPL)
Gujarat Giants finally got off the mark in the tournament in their third attempt after defeating the Royal Challengers Bangalore in their previous outing of the Women’s Premier League. The Gujarat-based franchise were struck a severe blow earlier this week after Beth Mooney was ruled out for the remainder of the tournament due to a calf injury.
While the team management have roped in Laura Wolvaardt to replace the influential Australian opener, India’s Sneh Rana will continue to lead the side in Mooney’s absence. They will be up against a wounded Meg Lannning’s Delhi Capitals side, who were dismantled by the Mumbai Indians in their previous outing.
Here is Gujarat Giants’ predicted XI for the match against Delhi Capitals-
Openers: Laura Wolvaardt, Sophia Dunkley
Gujarat Giants have acquired the services of South African batting star Laura Wolvaardt for the inaugural edition of the WPL, following an injury to Beth Mooney. Wolvaardt, who went unsold in the auction earlier this year, was her team’s leading run-getter in the recently concluded T20 World Cup in South Africa. She will be eager to showcase her talent in the upcoming fixture.
While her opening partner failed to lay a glove on the bowlers, Sophia Dunkley put the RCB bowlers to the sword. The 24-year swashbuckling opener smashed 65 runs in just 28 deliveries while registering the fastest half-century of the tournament. Her power-hitting abilities at the top of the order makes her an invaluable asset to the team.
Middle Order: Sabbhineni Meghana, Harleen Deol, Dayalan Hemalatha, Sushma Verma (wk)
Sabbhineni Meghana failed to impress in her previous outing against the Royal Challengers Bangalore after amassing just eight runs in 11 deliveries on a batting-friendly deck at the Brabourne. Her struggles at the top of the order do not bode well for the Gujarat Giants, especially after the unfortunate exit of skipper Beth Mooney.
Harleen Deol continued her good run with the bat after scoring her maiden half-century in the competition in the previous match. The 24-year-old held the innings together with her 45 ball 67 runs, propelling them to a daunting total of 201 runs. She is the third-leading run-scorer of the tournament so far and will be looking to add to her tally in the upcoming fixture.
Dayalan Hemalatha played a brisk cameo for her side in a remarkable batting performance. Although she has been among the runs in all three matches so far, Gujarat Giants will hope for a big score from the 28-year-old in the upcoming match.
Gujarat Giants wicketkeeper-batter Sushma Verma was reduced to being a spectator for much of the innings and got to face just two deliveries against RCB. However, she managed to dispatch one of those deliveries for a boundary to ensure a strong finish for her side.
All-rounders: Ashleigh Gardner, Sneh Rana (c), Kim Garth
Ashleigh Gardner had a memorable outing against the bottom-placed RCB as she made valuable contributions with both the bat and the ball. The no. 1 ranked T20I batter in the world played a brisk cameo with the bat and then returned with brilliant bowling figures of 3/31 in her four overs to hand her side their first victory of the tournament.
Following the early exit of Beth Mooney from the WPL due to a calf injury sustained in the tournament opener against Mumbai Indians, Indian all-rounder Sneh Rana has been handed the responsibility to lead the side for the remainder of the season.
After a breathtaking debut outing against the UP Warriorz, Kim Garth failed to live up to her reputation in the following game against Smriti Mandhana’s RCB. She went wicketless in her three-over spell, conceding 27 runs in a high-scoring affair at the Brabourne. She will be looking to get herself back among the wickets in the upcoming fixture.
Bowlers: Mansi Joshi, Tanuja Kanwar
Indian medium pacer Mansi Joshi made a big impact in the game despite bowling just over in the match against RCB. She grabbed the prized scalp of Ellyse Perry in her solitary over to land a fatal blow to RCB’s chances of winning their first match of the tournament. Her wicket proved to be a decisive factor in the match, as their opponents fell short by just 11 runs in a hard-fought contest.
Meanwhile, left-arm spinner Tanuja Kanwar was one of the unsung heroes for the Gujarat Giants in their first victory of the tournament as she was miserly with the ball, giving away just 28 runs in her four overs. Although she went wicketless for a second game in a row, she was the most economical bowler of the match and stifled the flow of runs in the middle overs.
Gujarat Giants (GUJ-W):
Laura Wolvaardt, Sophia Dunkley, Sabbhineni Meghana, Harleen Deol, Ashleigh Gardner, Sushma Verma, Sneh Rana (c), Kim Garth, Mansi Joshi, Tanuja Kanwar
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