Delhi Capitals hold a slight edge over Royal Challengers Bangalore with better home-grown talent

Smriti Mandhana’s languid grace will match Shafali Verma’s brute power when Royal Challengers Bangalore take on Delhi Capitals in the WPL in Mumbai on Sunday. RCB have amassed an impressive roster of international recruits, including skipper Mandhana, who is the league’s highest-paid player at Rs 3.40 crore. The team looks very strong with Ellyse Perry, Heather Knight, Sophie Devine and robber Richa Ghosh.

But on paper, multiple World Cup-winning veteran Australian Meg Lanning’s Delhi team would hold a slight edge over their opponents in terms of pure Indian talent.

While Lanning is likely to be the four overseas players in Jess Jonassen, Marijan Kapp and Elise Capse, DC’s Indian line-up is both formidable and intimidating at the same time.

Shafali, Jemimah Rodrigues, Shikha Pandey, Poonam Yadav, Arundhati Reddy, Tanya Bhatia, Radha Yadav are all experienced Indian players.

In the mix of Under-19 World Cup-winning seamer Titus Sadhu, hard-working Kashmir lady Jasia Akhtar and keeper Aparna Mondal, Delhi Capitals have bought the best Indian talent on offer.

“I’ve had a few chats with the players and I’m just learning about their strengths, what they like to do and how they go about things. Hopefully I can learn something from the girls and give them a little I can give knowledge. Plus,” Lanning was quoted as saying in a DC release.

For Lanning’s South African team Cape, the match will see her take on Dane van Niekerk, who is in the RCB squad.

“We have an amazing group of girls and let’s see what everyone brings to the table. Going up against some of my South African teammates in the league will be challenging as they know me very well. But it’s also exciting and I I am happy that we have some players from our country in India this year.”

It is easy for Mandhana to pick her four overseas players – Kapp, Knight, Perry and fast bowler Megan Schutt. But their problem will be to find slots for at least four quality Indian players, with the captain himself, Richa and seamer Renuka Thakur being automatic choices.

Which four of Komal Janjad, Shobhana Asha, Indrani Roy (touring England with the Indian team in 2021), Poonam Khemnar, Kanika Ahuja and Preeti Bose, Sahana Pawar will fit the bill as per the team combination that RCB will play in the event? Will determine the run of.

Squads: Delhi Capitals: Meg Lanning (c), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Jess Jonassen, Ellyse Capsy, Tara Norris, Laura Harris, Marijan Kapp, Poonam Yadav, Shikha Pandey, Tanya Bhatia (wk), Aparna Mondal (wk), Tita Sadhu, Arundhati Reddy, Radha Yadav, Meenu Mani, Jasia Akhtar RCB: Smriti Mandhana (c), Richa Ghosh (wk), Dane van Niekerk, Heather Knight, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Sophie Devine, Erin Burns, Disha Cassatt, Sahana Pawar, Renuka Thakur, Komal Janjad, Poonam Khemnar, Kanika Ahuja, Preeti Bose, Shobhana Asha, Shreyanka Patil, Indrani Roy (wk).

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and was auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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