Ellyse Perry and Jess Jonassen (Source: @wplt20/X.com)
It's time for some intense action in the ongoing Women's Premier League (WPL) 2025, where Royal Challengers Bengaluru Women (RCB-W) are going up against the Delhi Capitals Women (DC-W) in the 14th match to be played at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. This unmissable action will occur on Saturday, March 1st, 2025, from 7:30 PM IST.
Starting off brilliantly with two wins in two matches, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru Women, led by Smriti Mandhana, have had a forgetful home leg with three losses in three consecutive games in Bengaluru. Firstly losing to Mumbai Indians, then UP Warriorz, that too in the super over and after that, succumbing to Gujarat Giants by six wickets. Therefore, they now only have four points with an NRR of +0.155 after five games.
The RCB side, in the last game against the Giants, failed with the bat well, as they could only manage 125 on the board. While with the ball, Renuka Singh Thakur and Georgia Wareham picked two wickets apiece but couldn't keep the Gujarat side from achieving their target in 16.3 overs. RCB really has performed erratically at the Chinnaswamy this year and now, need to step up in their final home game.
On the other hand, the Delhi Capitals side are thoroughly dominant, with four wins in six matches, while losing only two games so far. The Meg Lanning side have eight points and a healthy NRR of +0.201. They are coming off of a very comfortable win against Mumbai Indians by nine wickets last night, as they chased the score of 124 down in 14.3 overs.
Bowlers Jess Jonassen and Minnu Mani were outstanding with three wickets apiece, while skipper Meg Lanning (60*) and opening partner Shafali Verma (43) were crucial for them in their short chase. Mumbai Indians only scored 123 in their 20 overs, as the Delhi bowlers delivered consistent lines and lengths to suppress the opposition batters.
Top 3 Captain And Vice-Captain Choices For RCB-W vs DC-W
With a string of low scores, the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium's pitch in Bengaluru is definitely getting tricky for batting with each passing game. In the last two matches, the batting first teams were not even able to cross the 130-run mark, as they struggled on their way to achieve a big score. A similar pattern was seen in the previous two games, as the side-chasing team ended up with comfortable wins.
The pitch is really helping the bowlers in the first half of the game, as batters are finding it challenging to tackle the initial movement and swing, which is causing quite a lot of disturbance early on in the innings, while spinners are also getting much help from this surface. Therefore, with two recent results favouring the chasing sides, it is highly expected that the team winning the toss will choose to bowl first at this venue.
3. Renuka Singh Thakur
Why Will Renuka Singh Thakur Be A Good Choice As The Captain Or Vice-Captain?
New Ball Specialist: RCB's powerplay specialist, Renuka Singh Thakur, has turned out to be one of the finest exponents of the new ball in the powerplay. Her swing bowling has been exceptional, challenging the batters at times as they have often struggled against her moving deliveries.
Joint Highest Wicket-Taker: Renuka, in this season, has been able to bag nine wickets at an average of 15.88, while giving runs at an economy of 7.15 in just five matches. With nine wickets to her name, Renuka is tied with Delhi's Jess Jonassen and Georgia Wareham at the top of the highest wicket-taking ladders. Also, in the recent match against Gujarat Giants, she was able to bag figures of 2 for 24. At the same time, in the game before that against UP Warriorz, she bowled exceptionally well to pick another two wickets to add to her tally.
2. Jess Jonassen
Why Will Jess Jonassen Be A Good Choice As The Captain Or Vice-Captain?
Effective Variations: Delhi Capitals' Jess Jonassen has been more than effective with the ball for the Meg Lanning skippered side. The Australian spinner has done an extremely crucial job picking up wickets in the middle overs, hence putting a halt to the scoring rate. With her valuable variations, Jonassen often deceives the batters, making it difficult for them with her flighted deliveries and arm balls as she usually targets the stumps.
Consistent Performer: Jonassen, in five matches this season, has also managed to pick up nine wickets at an economy of 7.26 while averaging just 15.33. This makes her a consistent performer who knows how to perform on a regular basis when the side demands it. Adding to this, she also has 67 runs to her name in the limited time she gets to bat while also having a half-century with runs coming at 167.50, averaging 33.5 in this year's WPL 2025.
1. Ellyse Perry
Why Will Ellyse Perry Be A Good Choice As The Captain Or Vice-Captain?
Elite Athlete: In the world of cricket, Ellyse Perry is counted as one of the finest athletes in the game, considering both men and women. The all-rounder, who has featured in 165 international T20I matches, has over 2100 runs while having 126 wickets. Perry has been no stranger to the WPL as well with 835 runs in 22 games played so far while having 12 scalps to her name.
Unmatched Brilliance: In this season only, Perry has been able to pound as many as 235 runs at an average of 78.33, where her strike rate is an outstanding 156.66 in five matches. Not to forget, she also has three half-centuries, making her an incredible asset for her side.
While the Aussie could not score runs in the last game, expect her to come all guns blazing in this one. Additionally, the 34-year-old has started to run in and bowl her fiery deliveries after avoiding previously due to precautionary measures. Therefore, she should be considered as a serious candidate to be captain or vice-captain of the side.
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