Follow UsAfter the kind of season that Royal Challengers Bangalore had last time, any decent performance this season would top that by a fair margin.
But the Smriti Mandhana-led side didn’t just show up, but decided to leave the entire venue rallying behind them with clinical wins on trot. That's what differentiates them from the other teams: they are putting bums on the seats.
If it was Sabbhineni Meghana, Richa Ghosh, and Asha Shobana Joy in the UP Warriorz clash, skipper Mandhana stepped up to crush Gujarat Giants by eight wickets in the next match. Chinnaswamy’s slow nature surely helps their style of play, and with another three games lurking in the corner, they will want to secure an advantage soon enough.
On the other hand, Delhi Capitals, perhaps the most complete side in the tournament, are coming into the Thursday clash with much hope. The disappointing last-ball loss in the Mumbai clash will still haunt them, but under Meg Lanning, they have the all-round strength to get the better of any side. It will take a lot for RCB to break them and walk away with a couple of points.
Things to watch out for
Can Mandhana change her powerplay fortunes?
Over the years, Smriti Mandhana has excelled at scoring runs quickly in the powerplay, and she has done that with distinction in leagues around the world. However, the story has taken a flip in recent times with the Indian opener getting strangled in the early overs. Only for her side to be bailed out by the middle-order batters.
Since 2021, Mandhana has averaged just 26 in the powerplay while being dismissed 17 times. Spin has become her biggest bugbear, averaging less than 20 against all slow bowling types. UP Warriorz skipper Alyssa Healy used Grace Harris and Sophie Ecclestone in tandem to control her run-scoring flow, and the result turned out to be a timid one for the RCB skipper, who, despite getting two reprieves, was dismissed for 13 against Tahlia McGrath.
She made a very good comeback to score 43 against Gujarat Giants, but consistency has eluded her in recent years. More so, in WPL, she is yet to play a breakthrough innings. They have the massive advantage of playing at Chinnaswamy, where spinners are a useless commodity, but as soon as the caravan moves to Delhi, that feature of her batting will be exposed to more intense scrutiny. Taking advantage right now to stand apart can do a world of good to her confidence.
Pace to choke Meghana?
In the RCB-UP clash, the home side lost their talismanic openers Smriti Mandhana and Sophie Devine early in the innings before Sabbhineni Meghana and Richa Ghosh rescued their innings. In the next game, Meghana was again at the centre of attraction when she forged a 40-run partnership with Mandhana before adding an unbeaten 38 runs with Ellyse Perry.
So, in a way, she has become very important to the cause. She is a monster against spinners, taking them down easily out of small Chinnaswamy boundaries, but Delhi Capitals could exploit her concerns against pacers. In her career, she strikes at 119.33 against spin, but against pace, that drops down to 100.5, averaging just five runs more per dismissal.
In the form of Marizanne Kapp, Shikha Pandey, and Annabel Sutherland, Delhi can take any team down with menace. Standing up to them will surely be a challenge for Sabbhineni Meghana, but has Meghana ever walked away from a challenge?
Ground Details
So far in the Women’s Premier League, the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru has been a batting-friendly venue. However, teams have still taken early wickets to choke on the runs in the middle overs, with batting being a tough gig in the first hour.
Four out of five matches have been won by the teams batting second - which stays in line with the historical trend of the venue, where assistance for spinners goes down drastically as dew takes over. Spinners have dominated the proceedings at the Chinnaswamy, picking 34 wickets at an average of 21.8 compared to 21 wickets at 28.7 for the pacers.
Tactical Insights
Delhi Capitals opener Shafali Varma has had her troubles against spin since last year. Both her average and strike rate go down against spin by a substantial margin, and with RCB having the likes of Georgia Wareham, Sophie Molineux, Shreyanka Patil, and Asha Sobhana, she will be on her toes.
Since 2021, Marizanne Kapp has been excellent against right-handed batters, averaging 20.5, with a wicket every 20.4 deliveries. So that gives Delhi Capitals a favourable match-up advantage, early on in the clash.
Probable XIs
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Sophie Devine, Smriti Mandhana (c), Sabbhineni Meghana, Ellyse Perry, Richa Ghosh (wk), Georgia Wareham, Sophie Molineux, Shreyanka Patil, Simran Bahadur, Asha Sobhana, Renuka Thakur Singh
Delhi Capitals
Meg Lanning (c), Shafali Verma, Alice Capsey, Jemimah Rodrigues, Marizanne Kapp, Annabel Sutherland, Arundhati Reddy, Minnu Mani, Taniya Bhatia (wk), Radha Yadav, Shikha Pandey