Delhi Capitals eye top spot as UP Warriorz chase first win in WPL clash

Delhi Capitals will aim to claim the top spot, while UP Warriorz will be desperate to register their first win of the season when the two sides face off in the Women’s Premier League here on Saturday.

Currently sitting second on the points table behind Royal Challengers Bengaluru, DC have won two of their three games.

In contrast, UP Warriorz find themselves at the bottom, reeling from back-to-back defeats.

The two teams clashed earlier this week in Vadodara, where DC cruised to a dominant seven-wicket victory.

Pre-tournament favourites Delhi will be buoyed by skipper Meg Lanning’s return to form, alongside crucial contributions from the middle order, including Marizanne Kapp and Annabel Sutherland.

However, openers Shafali Verma and Jemimah Rodrigues will be eager for more consistency with the bat in hand.

On the bowling front, veteran pacer Shikha Pandey has led the attack well but needs better support from her fellow bowlers.

For UP Warriorz, fielding lapses, including three dropped catches and several misfields proved costly in their previous encounter against DC.

They will be determined to put up a sharper display this time around.

“Only if we’d taken the catches… it’s part of the game, though. The result could have been different,” skipper Deepti Sharma lamented after their last defeat.

Warriorz will also look for stronger performances from their batting unit, particularly from Deepti, young wicketkeeper-batter Uma Chhetri, and opener Vrinda Dinesh.

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Kiran Navgire’s explosive half-century was a rare bright spot, but apart from Shweta Sehrawat and Chinelle Henry, the rest of the lineup faltered. With their struggles against DC’s spinners last time, Warriorz will need to find answers to counter spin when they meet again on Saturday.

Teams (from): UP Warriorz: Deepti Sharma (captain), Alana King, Gouher Sultana, Saima Thakor, Grace Harris, Shweta Sehrawat, Anjali Sarvani, Kiran Navgire, Sophie Ecclestone, Arushi Goel, Kranti Goud, Tahlia Mcgrath, Chamari Athapaththu, Poonam Khemnar, Uma Chetry, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Vrinda Dinesh.

Delhi Capitals: Meg Lanning (Captain), Harleen Deol, Prakashika Naik, Beth Mooney, Kashvee Gautam, Priya Mishra, Bharti Fulmali, Laura Wolvaardt, Sayali Satghare, Danielle Gibson, Mannat Kashyap, Shabnam Shakil, Dayalan Hemalatha, Meghna Singh, Simran Shaikh, Deandra Dottin, Phoebe Litchfield, Tanuja Kanwar.

Match starts at 7.30 PM.