RCB aim to arrest slump with spot in the playoffs up for grabs

After a hugely disappointing 2023 Women’s Premier League (WPL) season which saw them finish second-to-bottom, RCB’s 2024 campaign got off to a near-perfect start, with the Reds equalling their win tally from last season (2) in just two matches. With the first leg of the season being played in Bangalore, RCB thrived off the Chinnaswamy faithful’s energy and began the season like a force to be reckoned with.

However, their season has since lost steam: after two wins in their first two games, RCB have lost three of their last four matches. This form slump includes a thumping at the hands of bottom-placed Gujarat Giants, who convincingly outclassed them by 19 runs at the Arun Jaitley Stadium three nights ago.

The drop in form has not derailed RCB’s season, but it has left them in a slightly tricky spot: the Reds will now have to win at least one of their remaining two matches to be assured of a place in the final three.

Sounds simple enough, but the task is not straightforward, considering their next two opponents are DelhI Capitals (DC) and Mumbai Indians (MI), the top two teams on the points table. The task is further complicated by the fact that RCB are yet to beat both these sides in the WPL, with their combined record against these two teams reading a dismal 0-6 (W-L).

Smriti Mandhana’s side have their fate in their own hands, but do they have it in them to make that final push and enter the playoffs?

Things to watch out for 

Renuka’s ineffectiveness in the powerplay a concern (again)

After a forgettable 2023 season in which she went wicketless in the powerplay across the entire season, it seemed like Renuka Singh had turned a corner this season as she produced two fantastic new-ball displays in RCB’s first two games of the season. Her terrific new-ball spell against the Gujarat Giants (3-0-11-1), in fact, set up victory for the Reds in their second game of this campaign.

However, much like her own side, it’s been a season of two parts for Renuka, who has proven to be utterly ineffective in the powerplay across the past few games. Renuka has now gone wicketless in the powerplay (and overall) across RCB’s last four matches, and her last seven powerplay overs this season have seen opponents take 70 runs in total. 

It’s natural for athletes to have ups and downs at the highest level, but Renuka has now taken a solitary wicket in the powerplay across two WPL seasons (in 12 games). 

RCB failed to strike early in their previous clash against Gujarat, and it cost them dearly as the GG openers put together 140 for the opening wicket to all but seal the game.

On Sunday, RCB will be up against the most successful opening pair in the competition - Shafali Verma and Meg Lanning. Striking early will be imperative for the Reds. The experienced Renuka cannot afford another slip-up with the new ball. 

Can DC put the nightmare collapse against UP behind them?

There are close defeats, and there are defeats that end up scarring teams. 

The Capitals will hope that the collapse they endured against UP Warriorz does not end up scaring them, creating a mental block going forward. 

At 124/4 in 18 overs, DC were cruising towards victory, needing just 15 more in 12 balls with plenty of firepower left in the shed. They stumbled slightly but still found themselves within touching distance of victory an over later, needing two runs off four balls with three wickets in hand. 

However, from this point, the Capitals unfathomably ended up losing the contest by one run.

Victory would have put DC in pole position to finish first, but the horror collapse has ended up opening the door for Mumbai Indians. 

From a psychological point of view, then, it’ll be imperative for the DC batters to bounce back and produce a clinical performance to bury the ghosts of the UP defeat. 

RCB need Sophie Devine to impact games with the bat

Sophie Devine was a bright spot for RCB in a forgettable 2023 campaign as she smashed 266 runs at a strike rate of 172.72. Despite the Reds not making it out of the first round, Devine arguably played the knock of the season, hammering a 36-ball 99 against Gujarat Giants.

However, six games into WPL 2024, Devine has thus far been a shadow of her own self. She’s amassed just 64 runs at an average of 12.80 and has struggled to meaningfully impact games. She’s been so out-of-touch that RCB, after starting with her up the order, have deployed the right-hander at both No.4 and No.5 in order to make her click.

It hasn’t quite happened for Devine this season, but she showed some positive signs in the loss against Gujarat, where she smashed a brisk 16-ball 23, walking in at No.4. 

RCB will hope that the veteran takes confidence from her showing against GG and turns back into her usual self for the business end. One special performance from Devine, in all likelihood, could seal RCB a spot in the playoffs.

Ground Details

We've seen four games at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi so far in WPL 2024, and all four games have been won by the team batting first. There have been a mix of high and moderate scoring games but in every single game, batting has gotten difficult with time. 

Unsurprisingly, spin has proven to be the trump card for sides here in Delhi. Spinners have taken 63.3% of the wickets, and they've averaged just 22.0 compared to the 32.7 of pacers. They've also registered an economy of 7.8 compared to pacers' 8.1. In the clash between DC and UP on Friday, 11/17 wickets fell to spin. 

Not sure about a run-fest, but be prepared to witness a spin-fest on Sunday.

Tactical Insights

> Jess Jonassen could be DC’s answer to Ellyse Perry. Jonassen, in all T20s, has dismissed the right-hander seven times; Perry averages just 12.7 against the left-arm spinner while striking at 93.0. This season, two of Perry’s three dismissals have been against left-arm spinners, against whom she’s averaged just 19.00.

> The Shafali vs Perry contest could set the tone for the contest up-front. Shafali has been dismissed by Perry 4 times in all T20s at an average of 13.7, but the 20-year-old strikes at 145.7 against the veteran seamer. Additionally, this season, Shafali has been striking at 151.85 in the powerplay as well.

Probable XIs

There is not much clarity over Shreyanka Patil’s fitness, but if fit, she could come back into the side instead of Ekta Bisht, who has looked ordinary. 

RCB XI: Sabbhineni Meghana, Smriti Mandhana (c), Ellyse Perry, Richa Ghosh (wk), Sophie Devine, Sophie Molineux, Georgia Wareham, Ekta Bisht / Shreyanka Patil Simran Bahadur, Asha Sobhana, Renuka Thakur Singh

For DC, Marizanne Kapp, who missed the UP clash, could come back into the XI instead of Annabel Sutherland.

DC XI: Meg Lanning (c), Shafali Verma, Alice Capsey, Jemimah Rodrigues, Annabel Sutherland, Jess Jonassen, Arundhati Reddy, Radha Yadav, Taniya Bhatia (wk), Shikha Pandey, Titas Sadhu