Gujarat Giants opt to bowl against RCB, hand debut to Shivani Singh
Dew will likely be a factor at a venue with small boundaries and a quick outfield
ESPNcricinfo staff
16-Jan-2026 • 4 hrs ago
Ash Gardner won the toss against Smriti Mandhana's Royal Challengers Bangalore • BCCI
Toss Gujarat Giants opt to bowl vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Ashleigh Gardner won the toss and chose to bowl on a used wicket in Navi Mumbai. Gujarat Giants (GG) handed a debut to wicketkeeper-batter Shivani Singh, and left out Ayushi Soni.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), meanwhile, remained unchanged.
At the pitch report, Katey Martin said dew will play a part later in the evening. The boundaries are small, and the outfield is fast as well. Gardner, at the toss, said that the DY Patil stadium is a venue where defending totals is tough.
RCB captain Smriti Mandhana didn't mind losing the toss. She felt bowling first for the most part of the tournament, and then batting first much later wasn't ideal.
RCB and GG, with two wins, are placed first and third on the table, respectively. The winner of this game will top the table with three wins.
Gujarat Giants: Beth Mooney (wk), Sophie Devine, Shivani Singh, Ashleigh Gardner (capt), Georgia Wareham, Bharti Fulmali, Kashvee Gautam, Kanika Ahuja, Tanuja Kanwar, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Renuka Singh
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Grace Harris, Smriti Mandhana (capt), D Hemalatha, Richa Ghosh (wk), Gautami Naik, Radha Yadav, Nadine de Klerk, Arundhati Reddy, Shreyanka Patil, Linsey Smith, Lauren Bell