Royal Challengers Bengaluru decided they would prefer to bat second once again, winning the toss in Match 11 of the WPL and inviting Delhi Capitals to set a target on what is already a used evening strip. The call came barely 24 hours after their victory over Gujarat Giants, and skipper Smriti Mandhana admitted at the toss, “We’re happy chasing. The pitch has had one game on it, so it may slow up later.”
Three changes freshen up RCB’s XI. Georgia Voll, the Queensland batter who has waited on the bench through the opening run of fixtures, replaces left-arm spinner Linsey Smith. Leg-spinner Prema Rawat comes in for D Hemalatha after the latter’s two single-figure returns at No. 3. The third switch is forced: all-rounder Sayali Satghare steps in for Arundhati Reddy, who is unwell.
The Capitals also shuffle their deck, though not by choice. Chinelle Henry is sidelined by a minor hamstring strain, handing a debut to 19-year-old Australian left-arm quick Lucy Hamilton. “Lucy gives us an extra new-ball option,” captain Jemimah Rodrigues said. “She led Australia Under-19s last year and isn’t afraid of the big stage.”
Dew has not wreaked havoc on night matches so far, yet every captain presented with the coin has still chosen to chase. The strip in question was used earlier in the afternoon for UP Warriorz v Mumbai Indians, so a gentle slowdown is expected. Analyst and former India spinner Anuja Patil noted, “Twenty overs on the same surface tends to take a touch of pace off. If that happens, defending could be trickier later.”
Understandably, much of the pre-match chatter centres on Mandhana and Shafali Verma, two of Indian cricket’s hardest-hitting openers. Former coach WV Raman observed, “Both teams rely heavily on their power-play starts. Whoever bosses those first six overs often walks away with the points.” The pair have captained against one another in domestic cricket plenty of times, yet tonight marks their first such meeting in the WPL.
Teams
Delhi Capitals: Shafali Verma, Lizelle Lee (wk), Laura Wolvaardt, Jemimah Rodrigues (c), Marizanne Kapp, Niki Prasad, Sneh Rana, Minnu Mani, N Shree Charani, Nandani Sharma, Lucy Hamilton.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Grace Harris, Smriti Mandhana (c), Georgia Voll, Gautami Naik, Richa Ghosh (wk), Nadine de Klerk, Radha Yadav, Shreyanka Patil, Sayali Satghare, Prema Rawat, Lauren Bell.
As ever, the opening salvos with bat and new ball are likely to shape the evening. For now, advantage RCB—on paper, at least—because they know exactly what they’ll be chasing.
