Delhi Capitals (DC) will be eyeing a fourth successive Women's Premier League (WPL) final when they take on Gujarat Giants (GG) in the Eliminator tonight in Vadodara. The Capitals are one of the most consistent teams in the WPL, having reached all three finals contested so far. However, they have faltered at crucial moments, losing each of those title clashes.
But playing in the WPL Eliminator — the match between the second-placed team and the third-placed team in the WPL points table to decide who plays in the final — is an uncharted territory for the team. In the previous three seasons, the team topped the league stage and qualified straight for the final.
This year, Delhi endured an up-and-down league-stage campaign. In the eight league games they won four matches and lost the other four fixtures and finished third. The Jemimah Rodrigues-led side started the campaign with back-to-back defeats against Mumbai Indians (MI) and Gujarat. They bounced back to beat UP Warriorz.
Another defeat followed as they were crushed by Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). In the next two games the team avenged those losses against RCB and MI before falling to yet another defeat against the Giants. A victory over the Warriorz rounded off their league stage.
DC's Bowling Has Outshone Its Batting
Pacer Nandani Sharma and left-arm off-spinner N Shree Charni have picked 14 wickets each, the third most this season. South African speed gun Marizanne Kapp has 10 wickets to her name this year and Chinelle Henry has claimed nine scalps.
Laura Wolvaardt and Lizelle Lee, with 241 runs and 240 runs respectively, have done the bulk of the heavy lifting when it comes to batting. The overseas duo are the team's only batters ranked among the top-10 leading run-scorers this season. Opener Shefali Verma has 208 runs to her name and Jemmimah has accumulated 166 runs.
Gujarat started their campaign with wins over UP and Delhi. Things started to look bleak for Ashleigh Gardener's side as a streak of three defeats followed. In this span the team lost once against Mumbai and twice against Bengaluru. The Giants showcased their competitive edge by putting together a hat-trick of wins, defeating UP, Delhi, and Mumbai to finish second in the league.
All-rounder Sophie Devine has been a great addition in the Giants squad. The former New Zealand captain is leading the wicket-taking charts with 17 scalps and has also scored 237 runs. Gardner is the team's leading run-scorer with 244 runs.
Devine and Gardner are the team's most essential players. Beth Mooney has 196 runs while newcomer Anushka Sharma has got 161 runs. Rajeshwari Gaywakwad and Kashvee Gautam have picked 10 wickets and 8 wickets respectively.
To qualify for their first-ever final, the Giants will have to find match winners beyon Devine and Garnder.
Pitch
Expect a batting friendly pitch for this match.
Delhi Capitals Vs Gujarat Giants Possible Playing XIs
Delhi Capitals: Lizelle Lee (wk),Shafali Verma, Laura Wolvaardt, Jemimah Rodrigues, Marizanne Kapp, Chinelle Henry, Niki Prasad, Sneh Rana, Minnu Mani, Nandani Sharma, Shree Charani.
Gujarat Giants: Beth Mooney (wk), Sophie Devine, Anushka Sharma, Ash Gardner (capt), Georgia Wareham, Bharti Fulmali, Kanika Ahuja, Kashvee Gautam, Tanuja Kanwer, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Renuka Singh.
Head-to-Head (Last Five Matches)
Gujarat have beaten Delhi in three of the last five matches they have played against them. Delhi have won the other two duels.
Form Guide (Last Five Matches)
Delhi Capitals: W-L-W-W-L
Gujarat Giants: W-W-W-L-L
Match Time And Live Stream Details
The match gets underway at 7:30 p.m. IST. It will be streamed LIVE on the JioHotstar app and broadcast on the StarSports channel.
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