WPL 2023: Match 16 RCB-W vs GUJ-W Preview, Playing XI, Live Streaming Details & Updates

Royal Challengers Bangalore. (Photo Source: Twitter/WPL)

Two teams struggling to get on top of the table- the Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Gujarat Giants- will lock horns in the 16th match of the Women’s Premier League on March 18, Saturday. As the tournament approaches its business end, the two sides will be desperate for a victory. While a victory would keep their hopes in the tournament alive, a defeat to RCB’s name would put curtains on their campaign.

In order to qualify for the playoff, both RCB and Gujarat need to win all their remaining games. RCB need to defeat Gujarat, and also need other permutations and combinations to fall in their favor to have some chance later. Since Mumbai have already qualified for the playoffs after winning five games in a row, the number of spots has now reduced to two, with four teams in contention.

RCB and Gujarat last crossed swords on March 8 in the sixth game of the tournament. The game was a thriller as RCB came very close to clinching their first victory while chasing the 202-run target, but eventually, Gujarat won the game by 11 runs thanks to top bowling efforts by the bowlers and the batting prowess showcased by top-order batters Sophia Dunkley and Harleen Deol.

Both RCB and Gujarat are coming off victories from their previous games. While Gujarat defeated the high-flying Delhi Capitals, RCB defeated UP Warriorz to clinch their first victory of the tournament. The two sides would now aim to keep the winning momentum alive and put forth competitive cricket at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai.

Pitch and Conditions

The surface at the Brabourne supports both batters and bowlers equally. The batters have a higher edge as the tournament has witnessed teams putting up big totals while batting first.

Probable Playing XI for RCB-W vs GUJ-W

Royal Challengers Bangalore Women

The Smriti Mandhana-led Royal Challengers Bangalore have finally found the winning momentum that they had been wanting for a long. Hence, they won’t be making any change to the in-form XI.

Probable Playing XI: Smriti Mandhana (c), Sophie Devine, Ellyse Perry, Heather Knight, Richa Ghosh (wk), Shreyanka Patil, Kanika Ahuja, Disha Kasat, Megan Schutt, Asha Shobana, Renuka Thakur Singh

Gujarat Giants Women

Gujarat Giants too looked in great form as they handed Delhi Capitals a defeat in their previous game. They looked in touch in both departments and will be looking to carrying the same momentum.

Probable Playing XI: Sophia Dunkley, Laura Wolvaardt, Harleen Deol, Ashleigh Gardner, Dayalan Hemalatha, Sneh Rana (c), Sushma Verma (wk), Kim Garth, Tanuja Kanwar, Mansi Joshi, Ashwani Kumari

RCB-W vs GUJ-W Head to Head

Played- 1 Gujarat Giants – 1