Capitals, Giants look to revive campaign after mixed results

On paper, Delhi Capitals look the most balanced squad this season in the WPL. Prior to the start of the tournament, they were tipped by the pundits to make yet another final and possibly, go a step further for ultimate glory. However, four games into the tournament and DC's fortunes have been a mixed bag. They've won two and lost two so far but it's the nature of performances that will have disappointed the team and it's followers. Both the defeats were hefty ones that had poor batting displays as a common factor. Another similarity was being on the wrong side of two carnage knocks (Smriti Mandhana and Chinelle Henry respectively).

The loss to UP Warriorz will sting a bit more, given that DC were in pole position before Henry let loose to a record-smashing fifty. She had shown a glimpse of her potential in the reverse fixture earlier last week and this time, the West Indian batted DC out of the game. Meg Lanning's side are still well placed to make it to the eliminator and could have an outside chance of making the final directly too but the inconsistent nature of performances will be something to work on. The two wins that they had were also last-over finishes with luck on their side.

Despite all these hurdles, DC have the resources to turn things around. The same cannot be said about the Gujarat Giants. They've lost two of their three games so far and time is running out for the franchise if they want to make the knockouts. For GG, the problem has been simple - lack of runs from the batters. Ash Gardner has had a phenomenal start to her debut season as captain but the Aussie all-rounder has hardly had any support from the others. The likes of Beth Mooney and Laura Wolvaardt have barely got going while the domestic players have tried hard but in vain.

The problem for GG is that they don't possess the squad depth that DC have in their ranks. Yet again, this appears to be a season where the batting resources seem thin. Barring the odd change, there isn't a lot that the team management can do in such a scenario. Gujarat, though, do have individual quality and they will hope that the senior stars find their mojo before its too late. From the outset, this looks like a game heavily in favour of DC but GG do have the ability to surprise everyone.

When: Delhi Capitals vs Gujarat Giants, February 25 at 7.30 PM

Where: M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru

What to expect: The pitches in Bengaluru have been quite different from the ones at Vadodara. Batters have still found comfort but the tracks have also had enough in it for the bowlers across all phases. Expect more of the same with scores in the 160-ish range being par.

Team news

Delhi Capitals

They might be having an up-and-down run but DC aren't likely to make too many changes. With spin playing a part in the Bengaluru leg so far, Radha Yadav could slot back in with Niki Prasad likely to make way. Another option might be to strengthen the batting by bringing back Alice Capsey in place of Jess Jonassen.

Probable XI: Shafali Verma, Meg Lanning(c), Jemimah Rodrigues, Annabel Sutherland, Marizanne Kapp, Jess Jonassen/Alice Capsey, Sarah Bryce(wk), Radha Yadav/Niki Prasad, Shikha Pandey, Arundhati Reddy, Minnu Mani.

Gujarat Giants

Changes are inevitable for GG but they will have tough calls to make. Phoebe Litchfield is expected to be back in the XI after surprisingly warming the bench during a season where she has dominated international cricket. The axe could fall on Laura Wolvaardt, given that the other overseas picks are irreplaceable. Sayali Satghare could also make way for one of Meghna Singh or Mannat Kashyap.

Probable XI: Beth Mooney(wk), Laura Wolvaardt/Phoebe Litchfield, Dayalan Hemalatha, Ashleigh Gardner(c), Deandra Dottin, Harleen Deol, Simran Shaikh, Tanuja Kanwar, Meghna Singh/Sayali Satghare, Kashvee Gautam, Priya Mishra.