RCB vs DC Match Prediction: Who will win today's WPL 2023 match?
Some of India's biggest stars will be in action on Sunday, March 5 in the 2023 Women's Premier League (WPL). The double-header features some enticing clashes, with the first being between the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and the Delhi Capitals (DC) at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai.
WPL 2023 kicked off with a one-sided hammering of the Gujarat Giants (GG) by the Mumbai Indians (MI). RCB and DC, though, are more well-matched and should be able to produce a thrilling contest. Smriti Mandhana and Meg Lanning will lead their respective sides as they look to keep pace with Harmanpreet Kaur and Co. at the top of the points table.
Lanning is on the back of leading Australia to yet another Women's T20 World Cup title, while Mandhana will have all eyes on her. Up against the Indian southpaw will be the likes of Shafali Verma and Jemimah Rodrigues, who will have big roles to play for DC in WPL 2023.
Can RCB commence their WPL campaign with a win? Or will DC, who can match them player for player in most departments, prove to be too much to handle?
WPL 2023, RCB vs DC: Star-studded teams look to keep pace with Mumbai Indians
Overall, RCB and DC are fairly evenly matched. The Royal Challengers have some selection decisions to make, while the Capitals have a stable playing XI led by an astute captain.
Bangalore are likely to play Sophie Devine, Ellyse Perry, Dane van Niekerk and Megan Schutt as their four overseas players, and that would mean that England skipper Heather Knight drops to the bench. They have a number of underrated domestic players, though, so that might not be a big problem.
Renuka Singh Thakur will have a massive role to play with the new ball against Shafali and Jemimah, while Schutt will be equally important at the death. RCB's spinners, barring Van Niekerk, are all lesser-known but highly rated. Despite the bowling department looking slightly undercooked, they could be potent enough to challenge the DC batters.
The Capitals, meanwhile, will rely heavily on their top order to score the bulk of their runs. The talented Jasia Akhtar is under an injury cloud and Taniya Bhatia isn't the most dynamic keeper-better in the world, so the lower-middle order looks dependent on Laura Harris to defy her lack of international experience and smack a few out of the ground.
DC's bowling, though, is quite potent. Apart from two quality pacers in Marizanne Kapp and Shikha Pandey, Lanning can call upon Tara Norris, Radha Yadav and Jess Jonassen.
Neither team has much batting depth, and early wickets could be the difference between the two sides on Sunday. It's tough to pick a winner for the contest given that the teams are playing for the first time ever, and this one could go either way. On paper, though, RCB might start as the slight favorites.
Prediction: RCB to win Match 2 of WPL 2023.