RCB aim to build on winning momentum as Gujarat clash beckons

The second game of the Delhi leg will see Gujarat Giants take on Royal Challengers Bangalore and both sides will be itching to get another win under their belt. While the Giants continue to search for that elusive first win, RCB will want to carry some of that winning momentum when they shift base to Delhi. The absence of a vociferous crowd to rally behind them could potentially be a dampener, and it remains to be seen how both sides adapt to the low and slow tracks expected in Delhi. 

The last time both sides took on each other, Renuka Singh came up with a fine new ball spell to account for both the big fishes in Beth Mooney and Phoebe Litchfield, before Bangalore saw a fluent Smriti Mandhana on show for the first time in WPL. 

GG are yet to see any of their big guns fire, but will take some solace from Meghna Singh’s four-fer in their last game against Delhi Capitals and are yet to fire in unison. 

Can this be the game? 

Things to watch out for

Gujarat Giants meek batting approach in the WPL

There’s no denying that the Giants batting unit hasn’t fired at all this season. Even before they played their first game, there was a lot of skepticism around the effectiveness of their lineup given its dependence on just their overseas batters. 

Unfortunately, none of them have come to the party. And when they brought in Laura Wolvaardt in the last game to strengthen their batting, the lack of attacking prowess between Beth Mooney and her led to Wolvaardt contributing no more than a 24-ball 26. 

Gujarat batters have scored runs at snail-like 6.4 RPO and have done so when losing a wicket every 17 balls. And before you think that this is the norm, other teams have scored runs at 8.3 RPO and lost a wicket every 24 balls. 

The switch to Delhi could make matters further worse for them, as their batters have struggled against spin more than pace. Add to that, RCB’s spinners have bowled 58% of the overs and taken 70% of their side’s wickets, highlighting the side’s dependence on their slow bowlers. 

Gujarat Giants will have to mitigate all of this, in order to have a fighting chance of grabbing two points. 

The middle overs muddle

RCB’s batters have thrived while batting between the 7th and 16th over. Ellyse Perry, Smriti Mandhana, S. Meghana - all three of them have been in fine form and have allowed Bangalore to dominate the phase in most games. 

They’ve scored in excess of 7 RPO in the middle overs in each of their five games, and in excess of 8 RPO in four of them. To boot, they’ve lost a wicket every 40 balls, that’s a difference of over 50% between them and the second placed team (Mumbai Indians - 27). 

What makes this even more interesting is GG’s lack of penetrative bowling once the field restrictions have been lifted. They have the poorest economy in this phase (8.6 RPO) and the second poorest balls/dismissal (28). So dismal has the bowling been that over 20% of the deliveries bowled by them in this period has been hit for a boundary. 

Powerplay battle (RCB bowlers vs GG batters)

In the previous encounter between the two sides, Renuka Singh notched up her maiden Player of the Match thanks to that probing new-ball spell - one that rocked back the Giants early on in the game. 

43/3
29/1
41/1
40/3

These have been GG’s performances in this season’s powerplay. The lack of a solid start has meant that they have been behind the eight ball and made to play catch up in each of their games this season.

On the other hand, Bangalore’s bowlers have had middling returns with the new ball so far. They have taken a wicket in each of their powerplays so far, but they have been far too expensive for their liking. They have conceded over 9 RPO in the last two powerplays and it remains to be seen how they fare when they play their first ever game in Delhi.

Ground details

The lack of recorded WT20s at the Arun Jaitley stadium means that both sides will be uncertain on what to expect from the surface. Although, in the six WT20s played at the venue, the chasing side has gone on to win six of them. 

If we are to go by what we’ve seen in the DC - MI fixture, the cutters have gripped the surface even with the new ball. This will bring spinners further into play, and with the surface expected to deteriorate as the game progresses, batters will want to attack the new ball as much as possible. 

Tactical insights

Ashleigh Gardner had a solid all-round outing in her last game scoring 40 with the bat and taking two wickets with the ball. She will want to continue this good form in this game, given her record against some of RCB’s top names. She’s dismissed each of Devine, Richa Ghosh, and Smriti over five times in WT20s. 

Laura Wolvaardt played her season’s first game in the previous match against Delhi Capitals. The Protean skipper will have her task cut, for she will be up against the Sophie Devine. Laura has been dismissed twice by the Kiwi experienced campaigner, and has an average of 7.2 and a strike rate of 92 in 14 innings against her. 

Phoebe Litchfield has not been in the greatest of form of late. She’s not helped her cause as well, since she’s been dismissed inside her first 10 balls in eight of the 18 WT20s she’s played since the beginning of 2023. RCB will want to exploit this further to ensure that they see the back of the Aussie youngster early on. 

Playing XIs

Gujarat Giants: Beth Mooney (C & WK), Laura Wolvaardt, Harleen Deol, Phoebe Litchfield, Ash Gardner, Veda Krishnamurthy, D. Hemalatha, Kathryn Bryce, Sneh Rana/Mannat Kashyap, Tanuja Kanwar, Meghna Singh

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Smriti Mandhana (C), S. Meghana, Ellyse Perry, Sophie Devine, Richa Ghosh, Georgia Wareham, Simran Bahadur, Sophie Molineux, Shreyanka Patil, Asha Sobhana, Renuka Singh