Vadodara, Jan 24 (IANS) Delhi Capitals (DC) have brought in Chinelle Henry and Minnu Mani as they won the toss and elected to bowl first against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in their 2026 Women’s Premier League clash at the BCA Stadium in Vadodara on Saturday.

Table-toppers RCB are already assured of a playoff berth, and a sixth win on the trot will help them skip the Eliminator and secure a direct passage to the final. DC, meanwhile, are chasing to strengthen their push for the knockouts, and a win will brighten that.

After winning the toss, RCB captain Smriti Mandhana said seam-bowling all-rounder Arundhati Reddy is fit, and she comes in for Prema Rawat.

“We were looking at the field. We definitely thought about it (what to do). With the wind around today, we don’t expect as much dew as the previous games, and when it’s windy, the dew tends to settle less,” she said.

“So batting first was certainly in our minds. But the way this tournament has gone, we seem to keep losing the toss – that’s just how it’s been. Very important (qualifying for the finals). We’ve had good practice sessions, and everyone even turned up for the optional training, which says a lot about the group. As a captain and support staff, that’s really pleasing. We’re starting to look like a really good unit,” she added.

Delhi Capitals’ skipper Jemimah Rodrigues said Chinelle Henry and Minnu Mani come in for Lucy Hamilton and Deeya Yadav, who have been ruled out of WPL due to a back injury. “Under lights, the ball will skid on, and the dew also will come on. It does look a bit fresher and seems to come on nicely off the bat, but from what we’ve seen and read, it should still stay a little low.

“So I don’t think the game plan changes too much. The youngsters bring a lot of energy, but everything is new for them. We try to share our experience and feed off their enthusiasm – it works both ways, and it’s been great,” she said.

Playing XIs:

Delhi Capitals: Shafali Verma, Lizelle Lee (wk), Laura Wolvaardt, Jemimah Rodrigues (c), Marizanne Kapp, Niki Prasad, Chinelle Henry, Sneh Rana, Minnu Mani, Sree Charani, and Nandni Sharma

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Grace Harris, Smriti Mandhana (c), Georgia Voll, Gautami Naik, Richa Ghosh (wk), Nadine de Klerk, Radha Yadav, Arundhati Reddy, Shreyanka Patil, Sayali Satghare, and Lauren Bell

–IANS

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