Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Giants eye improved batting effort

Bengaluru: Struggling with batting frailties, Gujarat Giants and Delhi Capitals will look to return to winning ways when they clash in the Women's Premier League here on Tuesday.

Both teams head into this fixture on the back of defeats. Gujarat Giants, who finished last in the previous two seasons, remain at the bottom of the points table with just one win in three games.

Meanwhile, Delhi Capitals have slipped to third after a 33-run loss to UP Warriorz, their third defeat in five matches.

Despite being one of the most consistent teams since the league's inception, Delhi Capitals have endured a patchy run this season.

They are yet to live up to their pre-tournament favourites tag, struggling to put together commanding performances.

Their batting lineup, in particular, has failed to fire consistently. Openers Shafali Verma and Meg Lanning have shown glimpses of form but haven’t capitalised.

Lanning, in particular, has struggled, with just one strong performance so far, suggesting that international retirement might have impacted her game.

While Shafali, Jemimah Rodrigues, and Annabel Sutherland have provided occasional fireworks, none have converted their starts into substantial innings.

"We have played extremely well in patches but haven't been as good at other times. We just have to put everything together moving forward," Lanning said after the loss to Warriorz.

Gujarat Giants, on the other hand, have been heavily reliant on Australian all-rounder Ashleigh Gardner, who has been their standout performer.

Gardner is the third-highest run-scorer in the tournament, amassing 141 runs in three innings.

However, in the match against Mumbai Indians, her failure exposed the team's lack of batting depth, as Gujarat crumbled for just 120.

The pressure is mounting on the Indian batters, particularly No. 3 D. Hemalatha, to step up. South African batter Laura Wolvaardt is also due for a big innings.

With the ball, Gardner has led from the front, receiving good support from leg-spinner Priya Mishra. However, Gujarat will need an all-round effort if they hope to turn their season around.

 Gujarat Giant XI 

Beth Mooney (wk), Laura Wolvaardt, Dayalan Hemalatha, Ashleigh Gardner (c), Deandra Dottin, Simran Shaikh, Harleen Deol, Tanuja Kanwar, Sayali Satghare, Priya Mishra, Kashvee Gautam, Meghna Singh, Danielle Gibson, Phoebe Litchfield, Mannat Kashyap, Shabnam Shakil, Prakashika Naik, Bharti Fulmali.

Delhi Capitals XI 

Meg Lanning (c), 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.