GG's vulnerable bowling faces another test against RCB's dominant batting

Gujarat Giants (GG) vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) marks the start of the Vadodara leg of WPL 2026, with RCB arriving as the competition's early pace-setters. They are the only team to remain unbeaten after four matches so far this season. They haven't been flawless across all departments, but their ability to produce match-winners at key moments has stood out.

Different players have stepped up in different games, ensuring that even Ellyse Perry's absence hasn't disrupted their momentum. The question now is whether they can carry the confidence and success built in Navi Mumbai into a new venue and set of conditions.

In a tournament where each team plays eight league games, four matches represent a significant portion of the season. GG began with two wins, but successive defeats have exposed some fault lines. Despite being one of the better sides with the ball in the powerplay - they have conceded just 7.75 runs per over, second only to RCB - GG's struggles to control the middle and death overs have left them vulnerable.

Those issues have surfaced regardless of the totals involved. Against Mumbai Indians, GG failed to defend 192, while on Friday, during their previous meeting against RCB this season, they conceded 182, which proved too much at the end.

Between overs seven and 16, GG have been the most expensive bowling side, conceding 10.40 runs an over, and the problem worsens at the death, where they have leaked runs at 11.41 per over - again the most by any team. Strong starts with the ball have often been undone once the field spreads, allowing opposition batters to dictate terms.

Facing an unbeaten RCB side, the contest on Monday shapes as a test of whether GG can finally sustain pressure for a full 20 overs - or whether RCB's dominance with the bat will continue as the tournament moves to GG's home venue.

GG handed a debut to wicketkeeper-batter Shivani Singh and left out Ayushi Soni in their previous game. They are unlikely to make any changes to their XI.

Gujarat Giants (probable): 1 Beth Mooney (wk), 2 Sophie Devine, 3 Shivani Singh, 4 Ashleigh Gardner (capt), 5 Georgia Wareham, 6 Kanika Ahuja, 7 Bharti Fulmali, 8 Kashvee Gautam, 9 Tanuja Kanwar, 10 Rajeshwari Gayakwad, 11 Renuka Singh

RCB made three changes to the side that beat GG for their last game - against Delhi Capitals on Saturday - though one was forced with Arundhati Reddy being unwell. Georgia Voll and Prema Rawat are likely to retain their places, and if Reddy is fit, she could replace Sayali Satghare.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (probable): 1 Grace Harris, 2 Smriti Mandhana (capt), 3 Georgia Voll, 4 Gautami Naik, 5 Richa Ghosh (wk), 6 Radha Yadav, 7 Nadine de Klerk, 8 Arundhati Reddy/Sayali Satghare, 9 Shreyanka Patil, 10 Prema Rawat, 11 Lauren Bell

Beth Mooney has been one of GG's most reliable batters over the years, but her start to this WPL has mirrored a familiar pattern. Last season, after an early fifty, she followed it up with scores of 0, 1, 10 and 17 before finding her rhythm with a tournament-best 96 against UP Warriorz. This time, Mooney has managed just 92 runs from four matches, with a highest score of 33. While their other overseas batters Sophie Devine, Ashleigh Gardner and Georgia Wareham have been among the runs, GG will benefit significantly if Mooney can rediscover her best form at the top of the order.

Lauren Bell was one of the standout bowlers of the Navi Mumbai leg, with batters finding it difficult to line up her swing with the new ball. The RCB pacer has extracted sharp bounce early on, and complemented it with well-disguised offcutters, making her particularly effective in the opening overs. That Bell has already accounted for the wickets of Meg Lanning, Devine, Laura Wolvaardt, Lizelle Lee and Shafali Verma underlines her impact and value, especially against top-order batters. As conditions change in Vadodara, Bell's ability to adapt will be central to RCB's plans.

The last time these two teams met at the Kotambi Stadium, in 2025, 400-plus runs were scored, with RCB edging GG out in a thriller in what was the venue's first game last season.

However, in the following five matches, none of the teams touched the 200-run mark batting first there, with the average first-innings total across those games being 147. But despite that fall, the one thing that remained the same was that all six matches were won by the chasing team. The first match in Vadodara this season could see a similar trend of the captain winning the toss and opting to bowl first, given that dew might also come into play later.

Stats and trivia

• So far this season, none of the GG bowlers has an economy rate of under eight runs an over.

In GG's last match in Navi Mumbai, their bowlers had RCB in early trouble, reducing them to 43 for 4 in the sixth over. But a 105-run stand between Richa Ghosh and Radha Yadav, aided by a Nadine de Klerk cameo, powered RCB to 182 for 7. Shreyanka Patil then ran through GG with a five-wicket haul, and Bell chipped in with three, as RCB sealed a commanding 32-run victory.