GG vs RCB Match Prediction: Who will win today's WPL 2024 match?
In 12 matches of the Women's Premier League (WPL), across two editions, the Gujarat Giants (GG) have won only two games. In the current campaign, Beth Mooney and company are without a victory in four games, and more concerningly, they haven't looked like they can even compete against the other teams.
That's a damning reflection of GG's roster construction, which has been incredibly poor over the last two seasons. But that's not the only issue for Gujarat, who have made dubious selection calls and even stranger decisions while assigning roles to the players who have been picked.
For example, Phoebe Litchfield, arguably their best batter, has been in the middle order instead of opening the batting. Mooney, meanwhile, has barely delivered any runs, putting immense pressure on the likes of Ash Gardner to bail the team out of trouble.
It's no surprise that GG are at the very bottom of the WPL 2024 points table. When they take on the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in Match 13 of the competition in Delhi on Wednesday, March 6, they will not be expected to win, as harsh as that sounds.
RCB have been one of the better sides in the tournament so far and find themselves second in the standings. They are on the back of a plucky win over the UP Warriorz (UPW) that broke a two-game losing streak, and they can't afford to drop points against the bottom-placed Giants.
GG will take heart from the fact that one of their two wins in the WPL came against RCB, but that is a speck in the rearview mirror. In their most recent meeting, Bangalore cruised to an eight-wicket victory with more than seven overs to spare.
Can RCB notch up another win and challenge for the top spot? Or will GG finally get off the mark in 2024?
WPL 2024, Match 13: RCB look to keep pace in new surroundings
It's frankly hard to see what GG can do to beat RCB. Most of their batters are out of form, and finding enough runs from a lineup that is heavily dependent on Mooney, Litchfield, and Gardner seems an impossible task. Laura Wolvaardt's addition at the top of the order hasn't helped matters either.
GG are dealing with injuries, too. Sneh Rana and Harleen Deol, two of the team's most important Indian players, missed the clash against the Delhi Capitals (DC). Meanwhile, Dayalan Hemalatha suffered a concussion while fielding and had to be subbed out.
Bangalore have plenty of variety in their bowling attack, and Shreyanka Patil's return from injury for the GG clash will help matters by giving them an off-spinner to target Mooney and Litchfield. The spinners, led by Sophie Molineux, have done their job well, and Sophie Devine has chipped in with wickets now and then.
RCB's batting has been quite impressive, too. Smriti Mandhana is the Orange Cap holder and seems to have sorted out her issues against off-spin, taking Gardner out of the match-up equation slightly.
Anything can happen in a game of cricket, but RCB are by far the better team. Mandhana and Co. will be bitterly disappointed if they don't come away with a win on Wednesday.
Prediction: RCB to win Match 13 of WPL 2024.