Gujarat Giants Bowl First vs Unbeaten RCB in Crucial WPL 2026 Clash

Gujarat Giants captain Ashleigh Gardner won the toss and chose to bowl first against the undefeated Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the 12th match of WPL 2026. RCB enters the clash high on confidence, riding a four-match winning streak in the tournament. The Giants made two changes, including handing a debut to Happy Kumari, as they look to bounce back from two consecutive defeats. The match marks the league's move to Vadodara for the remainder of the season.

Key Points: WPL 2026: Gujarat Giants Bowl vs Unbeaten RCB in Vadodara

  • GG captain Ashleigh Gardner wins toss and bowls first
  • RCB enters on a four-match winning streak
  • Happy Kumari makes her WPL debut for Giants
  • Match marks start of second half of WPL season
  • GG seeks to avenge previous loss to RCB
2 min read

Gujarat Giants win toss, opt to bowl first against RCB in WPL 2026 clash

Gujarat Giants captain Ashleigh Gardner opts to bowl against the undefeated RCB, led by Smriti Mandhana, in a key WPL 2026 match. Live updates and playing XIs.

"We are going to bowl. It's awesome to have what seems like a home supportive crowd. - Ashleigh Gardner"

Vadodara, January 19

Gujarat Giants captain Ashleigh Gardner won the toss and opted to bowl first against the Smriti Mandhana-led Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the 12th match of the ongoing Women's Premier League 2026, on Monday.

The GG vs RCB match marks the start of the second half of the Women's Premier League as the league moves from Navi Mumbai to Vadodara for the rest of the season.

At the toss, GG captain Ashleigh Gardner said that the Happy Kumari makes her WPL debut.

"We are going to bowl. It's awesome to have what seems like a home supportive crowd. No doubt RCB will get a lot of support. Two changes. Anushka comes back after her hand injury and Happy makes her debut tonight. The batters have to do the job here as it's a high-scoring game. But firstly the bowlers need to keep it simple and keep the stumps in play. Hopefully, we can take early wickets and finish off the way we wanted to," Gardner said after winning the toss.

RCB come into the clash high on confidence, riding on a four-match winning streak. They are yet to be defeated in the 2026 WPL season and are the only undefeated team in the tournament. In their last match, RCB defeated Delhi Capitals by eight wickets.

Gujarat Giants, on the other hand, started their WPL campaign with two consecutive wins but then faced two successive defeats and find themselves ranked third in the WPL points table. Giants' last match was against RCB, where they lost by 32 runs.

GG vs RCB WPL 2026 match playing 11s:

Beth Mooney(w), Sophie Devine, Anushka Sharma, Kanika Ahuja, Ashleigh Gardner(c), Georgia Wareham, Kashvee Gautam, Bharti Fulmali, Tanuja Kanwer, Happy Kumari, Renuka Singh Thakur

Grace Harris, Smriti Mandhana(c), Georgia Voll, Richa Ghosh(w), Gautami Naik, Nadine de Klerk, Radha Yadav, Prema Rawat, Shreyanka Patil, Sayali Satghare, Lauren Bell

- ANI

Share this article:

Reader Comments

R
Rohit P
Bowling first on a Vadodara pitch could be tricky. RCB's batting lineup with Smriti Mandhana is so strong. GG's bowlers need to be at their absolute best. All the best to Happy Kumari on her debut! 🤞
S
Sarah B
As a neutral fan, just loving the quality of cricket in WPL! RCB looks unstoppable, but an upset would make things very interesting for the points table. Let's go, women in blue (and red!) 💪
A
Arjun K
Respectfully, I think GG's strategy is a bit defensive. Opting to bowl against an in-form batting side like RCB? They should have backed their batters to set a big target. Hope the move pays off!
K
Kavya N
So happy to see Anushka Sharma back from injury! And a big moment for Happy Kumari. WPL is doing wonders for discovering new Indian talent. RCB might be favourites, but cricket is a game of glorious uncertainties! 🏏

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

Leave a Comment

Minimum 50 characters 0/50