Have RCB peaked enough to beat runaway leaders DC?

In the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2008, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) finished at the penultimate position out of eight teams. Their fate was similar in the first season of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) last year, having finished fourth among five teams.

Both teams went on to make the final in their second season as well. While it ended in heartbreak for the Anil Kumble-led side in Johannesburg, will the fate be similar for Smriti Mandhana and her red brigade?

At the opposite end is Meg Lanning, who has been part of 11-title winning Australian teams, and has lost very few finals in her career. She may have finished second-best in WPL 2023, but the team would be determined to right the wrongs this time around. 

While DC go into the final having won four of their last five games, RCB have never strung together a series of three wins in a row in the WPL across two seasons? Will that streak end with a trophy in their hand, though?

Regardless of who wins, it would be a bigger achievement than what the men’s side has achieved in 16 seasons, which adds a little more flavor to the contest. 

Things to watch out for

DC’s dangerous batting trio

Shafali Verma and Lanning have been the most successful pair this season so far. They have accumulated 325 runs at 40.6, along with a strike-rate of 130. While it is Shafali, who takes the onus of getting the team off to a flying start in the powerplay, as her strike-rate of 148 in the first six overs depicts, Lanning has held the team together in the middle phase, and Jemimah Rodrigues has finished it off in a flurry in the final phase.

Lanning has hit the most boundaries (30) in overs 7-15, hitting one every four balls, which is phenomenal. Rodrigues, on the other hand, has the best strike-rate (219) in the final phase among batters with a minimum of 50 runs and has also struck the most boundaries (18) in overs 16-20.

Can Shreyanka continue to impress?

Shreyanka Patil did not make the best of her opportunities during the first phase of WPL 2024, which was held in Bengaluru, picking up just a couple of wickets at an economy rate of 11.1 (Ave 50, SR 27). She has turned things around in Delhi, where in three matches, she has picked up seven wickets conceding at just five an over (Ave 6.4, SR 7.7). She got the big wicket of Harmanpreet Kaur in the Eliminator and will have her tail up going into the final clash against DC.

Richa’s unfinished business

Richa Ghosh has been in superb form in the WPL this season, having scored 30 or more on four occasions so far. She almost pulled off a heist against DC in the previous game, scoring 51 off just 29 deliveries in a chase of 182, but her side fell short by one run. Can she make amends this time around? She has struggled against off-spin this season, having been dismissed thrice against them (Ave 5.6, SR 113). DC have Minnu Mani and Alice Capsey up their sleeve, who can bowl a bit of off-spin. Can they get the big fish?

Ground details

Out of the 10 matches at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi, so far, the teams batting first have won on seven occasions. Given that this is the final, it would make sense for the side winning the toss to bat first and put runs on the board as they did in the Eliminator against Mumbai. 

The spinners will have a massive part to play in the match, given that they have taken 61% of the wickets and have done so at a better economy rate (7.7), average (23.6) and strike-rate (18.4), while the corresponding numbers for the pacers are 8, 31.6 and 23.9 respectively.

The average first innings score batting first here has been 159. Any team getting remotely closer to this would certainly fancy their chances. 

Tactical insights

> Ellyse Perry was a thorn in the opposition’s flesh with both bat and ball in the last two games. Moreover, she is also the leading run-getter in the tournament. How do you stop her? Just get her Australian teammate Jess Jonassen into the attack against her early. The left-arm spinner has got the better of Perry on seven occasions in T20 cricket (SR 103, Ave 15.4). In WPL this season, Perry has been brutal against orthodox spinners, striking at 151.7, and has been dismissed thrice.

> Lanning has struggled to get going, especially against the right-arm pacers in the middle period, been dismissed by them thrice in 27 deliveries (four times overall), scoring at an average of eight and strike-rate of 88.9. Sophie Devine has gotten her out four times in T20 cricket, and could be employed against the DC skipper for this crucial tie.

Probable XI:

While DC are unlikely to make any changes, RCB could be tempted to beef up their batting line-up by potentially dropping Shraddha Pokharkar, who neither batted nor bowled against Mumbai in the Eliminator. Even without her, RCB had seven bowling options. There could be a case for Sabbhineni Meghana to return to the XI, given that she has four scores of over 25 in the tournament from six innings.

DC: Meg Lanning (c), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Alice Capsey, Marizanne Kapp, Jess Jonassen, Radha Yadav, Arundhati Reddy, Taniya Bhatia (wk), Shikha Pandey, Minnu Mani

RCB: Smriti Mandhana (c), Sophie Devine, Sophie Molineux, Ellyse Perry, Richa Ghosh (wk), Georgia Wareham, Disha Kasat, Shreyanka Patil, Asha Sobhana, Shraddha Pokharkar/Sabbhineni Meghana, Renuka Thakur Singh