DC look to secure playoff berth, RCB hope to join them in the fight

Delhi Capitals may be only one game from securing their place in the playoffs, but given their dominance in the tournament so far, they would be chasing nothing less than a top-place finish, the fight for which would require a victory over Royal Challengers Bangalore on Sunday.

While the victory for UP Warriorz on Saturday has kept the brief chance open for RCB to chase that top position, they have also found themselves in a tricky situation for a playoff berth.

The tournament is well-placed for all the late drama, and now beyond the skills, even the nerves will be tested for these teams. The one-run loss in the last game wouldn't leave DC's experienced unit fretting too much, but RCB's top-order will have to yet again take the burden of scoring. Georgia Wareham coming good with the bat will be a key takeaway for them, but yet again in the absence of the crowd support, they will need many more players firing.

When: Sunday, March 10, 2024, 7:30 PM IST

Where: Delhi Capitals vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi

What to expect: Some high scores have been posted, and some low totals have been defended. But across all games, the players have had to contend with the low bounce and slow nature of the surface, with teams batting first having an advantage.

Team News:

Delhi Capitals: Marizanne Kapp was rested against UP Warriorz on Friday due to a sore hamstring. It's the same niggle that kept her out of a game in the Bengaluru leg as well. Cricbuzz understands a call on her availability against RCB will be taken on the match day.

Probable XI: Meg Lanning, Shafali Verma, Alice Capsey, Jemimah Rodrigues, Marizanne Kapp/Annabel Sutherland, Jess Jonnasen, Arundhati Reddy, Shikha Pandey, Radha Yadav, Taniyaa Bhatia, Titas Sadhu

Royal Challengers Bangalore: The three-day rest would've helped RCB regroup well. The availability of Shreyanka Patil still remains a question, but the rest of the order should retain their place.

Probable XI: Smriti Mandhana, S Meghana, Ellyse Perry, Richa Ghosh, Sophie Devine, Sophie Molineux, Georgia Wareham, Simran Bahadur, Shreyanka Patil/Ekta Bisht, S Asha, Renuka Thakur

What they said:

Really pleased with Wareham, thought we might lose by a bigger margin but her knock was amazing. We'll learn from our mistakes today, we'll understand the conditions better - Smriti Mandhana, RCB captain, after the loss against Gujarat Giants