RCB vs GG, WPL 2026: Gujarat Giants eyes return to winning ways against Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Coming on the back of a convincing win against the UP Warriorz, Royal Challengers Bengaluru will start as a favourite against Gujarat Giants, when the two teams square off in a Women’s Premier League fixture on Friday.

As the spectators return to the DY Patil Stadium, they would be hoping for an entertaining evening. With Smriti Mandhana back among runs after stuttering in the season opener against Mumbai Indians, the Bengaluru outfit will be hoping to maintain its winning run against the Giants, which went down to Mumbai Indians in their previous outing.

After starting the tournament on a high, with two consecutive wins, the Giants slipped in the points table, following its defeat against Mumbai, whereas RCB has moved to the top.

While Smriti’s calm and composed innings in the previous outing earned praises, the team will be hoping for the seasoned Grace Harris to once again be at her explosive best. With seasoned campaigners like Nadine de Klerk and Richa Ghosh around, there’s enough firepower in the team.

Giants, however, need to improve their fielding standards.

In the previous game, sloppy fielding let the team down as Harmanpreet Kaur made most of three reprieves before guiding MI to a victory. “They’ve been working extremely hard with our fielding coach Sarah Taylor and all the other coaches,” Gujarat Giants head coach Michael Klinger said, adding: “So certainly no issue with the effort. It’s difficult when you put good players down, catches down, and so it’s something we’ll keep working on.”

While youngster Kanika Ahuja and Bharti Fulmali have proved their mettle, Giants will be expecting a lot more from the experienced trio of Beth Mooney, Sophie Devine and captain Ashleigh Gardner as they look to turn things around, against a formidable opponent.