Toss: Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) chose to bowl vs Delhi Capitals (DC)
RCB captain Smriti Mandhana opted to chase, continuing the trend of captains preferring to bowl first in WPL 2025. Mandhana cited expected dew as the key reason behind her decision, with all three matches in the tournament so far being won by chasing teams.
RCB made one change to their XI, bringing in experienced left-arm spinner Ekta Bisht in place of legspinner Prema Rawat, who had taken 1 for 26 in her debut game against Gujarat Giants.
Delhi Capitals, despite losing the toss, received a major boost with the return of overseas all-rounders Marizanne Kapp and Jess Jonassen, both of whom missed the first match due to illness. They replaced Alice Capsey and Niki Prasad, with DC making use of the WPL’s rule allowing five overseas players when an Associate player is included – in this case, Scotland’s wicketkeeper Sarah Bryce.
The match is set to be played on the same pitch where Gujarat Giants chased down 144 against UP Warriorz. The boundary dimensions stand at 58m and 50m square, with a 70m straight boundary.
Defending Champions Mandhana’s Royal Challengers to Face Gardner’s Giants in WPL 2025 Opener
Playing XIs:
RCB: Smriti Mandhana (capt), Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Ellyse Perry, Raghvi Bist, Richa Ghosh (wk), Kanika Ahuja, Georgia Wareham, Ekta Bisht, Kim Garth, VJ Joshitha, Renuka Singh.
DC: Meg Lanning (capt), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Annabel Sutherland, Jess Jonassen, Marizanne Kapp, Sarah Bryce (wk), Shikha Pandey, Radha Yadav, Arundhati Reddy, Minnu Mani.
