RCB Predicted Playing 11 vs GG for Match 5 of WPL 2024
The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will face the Gujarat Giants (GG) in Match 5 of the 2024 Women's Premier League (WPL) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Tuesday, February 27.
Smriti Mandhana and company got off to a winning start in the new campaign, beating the UP Warriorz (UPW) in a last-ball thriller. They are unlikely to make many changes so early in the season, and we could see them put out a similar combination against GG.
RCB's squad for WPL 2024: Asha Shobana, Disha Kasat, Ellyse Perry, Indrani Roy, Shradda Pokharkar, Renuka Singh, Richa Ghosh, Shreyanka Patil, Smriti Mandhana (c), Sophie Devine, Georgia Wareham, Kate Cross, Ekta Bisht, Shubha Satheesh, S Meghana, Simran Bahadur, Sophie Molineux, Nadine de Klerk.
Here is RCB's predicted playing XI for Match 5 of WPL 2024 against GG.
Openers: Smriti Mandhana (c) and Sophie Devine
Smriti Mandhana's time in the WPL hasn't been fun so far. The opening batter averages under 20 at a pedestrian strike rate, and while she started well against UPW, she threw away the start with a nothing-shot. Time is running out for her to come good in the competition.
In contrast, Sophie Devine has an excellent record against GG. The Kiwi basher has two fifties in two outings, including a match-winning 99 that gave RCB their first win over the Giants. She will have an eye on extending her purple patch against the wooden spoon holders.
Middle order: S Meghana, Ellyse Perry, Richa Ghosh (wk), Sophie Molineux, and Georgia Wareham
S Meghana chanced her luck against UPW, but she managed to make a fifty that had a decisive impact on the game. Her batting might not be the most aesthetic to watch, but she has enough grit and power to continue in the same vein.
Ellyse Perry and Richa Ghosh form the backbone of the RCB middle order. While the former couldn't contribute much against UPW, the latter stroked a fluent half-century that did the star turn for her team in the first innings.
Picked ahead of Kate Cross and Nadine de Klerk, Sophie Molineux held her nerve with the ball at the death and also produced a beauty to get rid of Alyssa Healy. The all-rounder could end up playing a pivotal role for RCB in WPL 2024.
Georgia Wareham bowled an excellent penultimate over in the last game and should be in the thick of things against GG as well.
Lower order: Shreyanka Patil, Asha Shobana, Simran Dil Bahadur, and Renuka Singh Thakur
RCB's lower order is unlikely to go through any changes.
Shreyanka Patil didn't have the best outing with the ball against UPW, but she is bound to have a bigger impact as the tournament wears on. GG have a couple of key left-handers in their ranks, and the off-spinner could be used in the powerplay.
Asha Shobana grabbed headlines in Bangalore's first win of the campaign as she registered the best bowling figures of her WPL career. The leg-spinner seems to be in beautiful rhythm and could be a handful to counter.
Simran Dil Bahadur and Renuka Singh Thakur didn't have much to do in the last game. While the former neither batted nor bowled, the latter sent down just three overs that went wicketless. However, both should retain their places in the XI.