Fantasy: Put your money on Deepti and Kapp

South Africa Women will take on India Women in the fifth match of the T20I tri-series, also involving West Indies Women, in East London on Saturday (January 27). The two teams have already made it to the finale, with West Indies losing all of their three encounters. The last time India and South Africa met in this tri-series, the Women in Blue emerged victorious by 27 runs.

Ground details

This entire series is being played at Buffalo Park in East London. In this series, the batters have scored runs at an average of 24.4, while a wicket has fallen every 23.1 deliveries. The scoring rate, however, has only been 6.3. The spinners here have better numbers so far, having operated at an average of 24.4 and a strike rate of 23.7, compared to 31.6 and 29.9 respectively of fast bowlers. Hence, it would be ideal to have at least two-three spinners in your XI.

Suggested teams

While you could go for the above team, you can also choose your team from Cricket.com’s Fantasy Research Centre. You can use this tool to build your team with the help of algorithms. Then, based on your preferences, the platform will guide you through creating the ideal fantasy XI.

Captaincy suggestions

For small leagues: Deepti Sharma (capt), Marizanne Kapp (vice-capt)

For grand leagues: Smriti Mandhana (capt), Harmanpreet Kaur (vice-capt)

Stats that matter

It’s tough to not pick Deepti Sharma as your skipper. Since 2022, the all-rounder has slammed 403 runs in 20 innings at an average of 36.63 and a strike rate of 136.6. On top of that, the offspinner has also claimed 34 wickets in this time frame at a strike rate of 17. In this series, Deepti scored 33 against South Africa and also has five wickets to her name.

Marizanne Kapp is someone who could fetch you points with her batting as well as her bowling. The South African all-rounder has picked up only one wicket in this series but has scores of 22 and 52 in her two innings.

In T20Is since 2022, Laura Wolvaardt has managed 261 runs in 11 innings at an average of 37.28. 

Grand league punts

Smriti Mandhana has 675 runs in 23 innings at an average of 35.52 and a strike rate of 134.2 since 2022. Against West Indies, the left-hander slammed 74* off 51 deliveries.

Harmanpreet Kaur missed the first T20I but made an impressive comeback against West Indies, slamming 56* off just 35 deliveries. The Indian skipper has an average of 36.25 in this format since 2022.

Probable XIs

South Africa - Laura Wolvaardt, Tazmin Brits, Marizanne Kapp, Sune Luus (c), Chloe Tryon, Annerie Dercksen, Nadine de Klerk, Sinalo Jafta (wk), Masabata Klaas, Tumi Sekhukhune, Nonkululeko Mlaba.

India - Yastika Bhatia (wk), Smriti Mandhana, Harleen Deol, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Jemimah Rodrigues, Devika Vaidya, Deepti Sharma, Amanjot Kaur, Radha Yadav, Shikha Pandey, Rajeshwari Gayakwad.