GG vs RCB Match Prediction | 1st Match

Betting Tips

The 3rd edition of the Women’s Premier League is set to get underway this week with the Royal Challengers Bangalore beginning their title defence in the opening fixture. They will face off against the Gujarat Giants on Friday at the Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara.

Gujarat Giants vs Royal Challengers Bangalore Head-to-Head Record

The two teams have faced each other in 4 matches, with both teams winning two games.

Gujarat Giants vs Royal Challengers Bangalore Live Streaming and Broadcast

This match will be broadcast on the Star Sports Network and live-streamed on Disney+ Hotstar App.

GG vs RCB Team Previews

Gujarat Giants

The Gujarat Giants haven’t had the best of times at the WPL and have ended with the wooden spoon in both seasons so far. However, the team will come out with a fresh frame of mind and get a winning start to the campaign.

Ashleigh Gardner, who has been a consistent performer with both, the bat and the ball, takes over the reins of the team from Beth Mooney this year. However, the latter continues to be an important part of Gujarat’s batting line-up and is likely to open the batting alongside Laura Woolvardt.

The team has also made a couple of big-ticket acquisitions during the preseason auction, bringing in Simran Shaikh to bolster the middle-order batting, and Deandra Dottin, who is a quality all-rounder. The Giants will also depend on the likes of Harleen Deol, Phoebe Litchfield, and D Hemalatha to score runs towards the death overs.

The bowling however could be a weak spot for the Giants as they lack quality options. Shabnam Shakil is the only full-time seamer, while Tanuja Kanwar, Priya Mishra, and Prakashika Naik are the three slow bowlers on the squad.

Gujarat Giants Expected Playing 11

Royal Challengers Bangalore

The Royal Challengers Bangalore played some incredible cricket last year and went on to claim the WPL title for the very first time. The team will hope to replicate their performance and retain the trophy this season.

However, at the outset, the news isn’t good for the Royal Challengers as some of their key players are set to miss this season. Sophie Devine has taken a break from cricket while Sophie Molineux and Kate Cross will miss the entire series due to injuries.

Even out of the players who have been named in the squad, Asha Sobhana, Shreyanka Patil, and Ellyse Perry are racing against time to be fit for this match. However, the team has named replacements in the form of Charlie Dean, Kim Garth, and Heather Graham but it remains to be seen how they gel with the rest of the squad.

The Royal Challengers have also brought 4 new domestic faces to add depth to the batting and bolster the bowling department. However, a lot will ride on Smriti Mandhana, who was brilliant with the bat last year. She will look to give the team a solid start.

Raghvi Bist and Richa Ghosh are the two main batters in the middle order who can also play the role of a finisher.

Royal Challengers Bangalore Expected Playing 11

GG vs RCB Toss Prediction

The team winning the toss will likely opt to bowl first.

Pitch and Conditions

The Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara is a relatively new venue and hasn’t hosted many games. However, we expect it to behave like the other pitches in India. The surface will have some grass that will help the seamers with the new ball. However, as the game progresses, batting will get easier. The spinners might come into play during the second half.

The weather will be clear with temperatures of around 25 degrees.

GG vs RCB Betting Tips

This is the first match of the season and both teams have made quite a few changes to their squads. We feel that the Royal Challengers Bangalore have a slight edge in this contest as they have a stronger bowling unit.

Bet on the Royal Challengers Bangalore to win.