Pitch and Conditions - There was a little drizzle earlier in the evening, but the pitch has been well covered. It's the centre wicket and has been used a couple of times earlier as well. 55m and 56m square boundaries, 65m straight. The rain has meant that the pitch has become a bit cool, it indicates that seamers might get some assistance, not much for the spinners. The ball will come onto the bat nicely, runs on offer here.
6:30 pm IST: It has been a second consecutive tough season for the Gujarat Giants. They finished with the wooden spoon in the inaugural season and it will need a Herculean effort to prevent the same this season as well. Four straight losses dashed their playoff hopes and they have been left with only pride to play for. On the other hand, only complacency will rob the Delhi Capitals of a direct berth in the final - they have had a couple of close contests in the last few games and would love to reach the final with an authoritative victory. Toss and team news coming up shortly..
Preview
Royal Challengers Bangalore's victory against Mumbai Indians confirmed the three teams in the playoffs, rendering the final match of the league stage of WPL 2024 inconsequential. But there is still something riding on the Delhi Capitals vs Gujarat Giants game.
Currently at the top of the table thanks to their consistent performances through this competition, the Capitals will be looking to continue their good run and end the league stage with the most wins. With MI's net run rate dipping after the loss, the Capitals are all set to make it directly to the final but there is a chance for Mumbai to usurp them to the top spot. For that, they'll need some help from the Giants who need to win the match by a margin of roughly 120 runs or with around 90 balls to spare.
The Giants, who have been polar opposite to the Capitals, will be looking to go out with a bang. But in order to avoid their second successive wooden spoon in the WPL, they need a really big win over the Capitals to go past UP Warriorz's NRR - score 160 and restrict the opposition to 103 or less, or chase down 161 inside 12.1 overs - which is easier said than done.
The Capitals have been on the money ever since losing the first game to MI, registering four victories on the trot by comfortable margins. But their last two matches - a loss to UPW and a win against RCB - were both by one-run margins. Heading into the business end, they will be eager to get back to their dominating ways and not let it get too close to comfort.
The Giants did get better as the tournament progressed, winning two of their last three matches but the four successive losses to start this edition of the WPL took a heavy toll on their chances of progression. Beth Mooney and Laura Wolvaardt have been the key players in both their wins but the team will be hoping for some contributions from Phoebe Litchfield and Ash Gardner, who both haven't really fired in this tournament. On the bowling front, Shabnam Shakil's impressive performance against Warriorz, to go with their overall bowling show which has punched above the weight, is one of the positives for Giants in WPL 2024.
When: Wednesday, March 13 at 7:30 PM IST
Where: Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
What to expect: Contrasting pitches have been on offer in the last few matches at this venue. While two of them have been high-scoring encounters, there have been three low-scoring games too. Teams batting first have had better success in Delhi, having won six out of eight matches.
Team news:
Delhi Capitals: With the top spot confirmed for all practical purposes, the Capitals might look at a change or two - perhaps rest Marizanne Kapp and bring in Annabel Sutherland.
"After the last few games, we stuck to the situation and gave the fans something to watch. It's a little stressful but nice for the fans" - Beth Mooney, on the last two matches getting close for the Giants
Squads:
Delhi Capitals Women Squad: Meg Lanning(c), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Alice Capsey, Marizanne Kapp, Jess Jonassen, Radha Yadav, Arundhati Reddy, Taniya Bhatia(w), Shikha Pandey, Titas Sadhu, Sneha Deepthi, Aparna Mondal, Ashwani Kumari, Minnu Mani, Annabel Sutherland, Laura Harris, Poonam Yadav