Beyond the headlines: Charani's debut, the Lanning trap, & Pandey baits Mandhana!
Beyond the headlines; RCB v/s DC, Game 14 of the WPL
The Delhi Capitals beat the Royal Challengers Bengaluru by 9 wickets. The game was over after the first innings, despite rumblings that “maybe, perhaps, if we’re lucky, 147 is a defendable total”. DC are the first team to qualify for the knockouts, and will probably finish first.
But, what happened beyond the headlines?
The 20-year old Charani’s impressive 4-0-28-2 debut, RCB effectively shut down Meg Lanning despite the loss, & Pandey baited Mandhana perfectly tonight.
Charani’s Impressive Debut: Turn, Pace, and Smart Lengths
Written by Uma Mahesh. You can follow him on Twitter and LinkedIn.
N Shree Charani’s WPL debut for DC was filled with promise, skill, and composure. She extracted significant turn while bowling to her field at all times.. Her control over lengths and her smart wicket-taking deliveries made an immediate impact on the game.
One of the standout aspects of her spell was her exceptional turn. While the tournament average turn for spinners in Bengaluru has been 1.7°, Charani nearly doubled that, generating an impressive 3.3°. This highlights her ability to extract sharp deviations, making life difficult for batters.
In addition, her pace variations were equally effective. With her fastest delivery clocked at 86.8 km/h, her slowest at 79.0 km/h, and an average speed of 84.1 km/h, Charani maintained an unpredictable rhythm. She altered her speeds cleverly, preventing batters from settling in.
A deep dive into her pitch map reveals how well Charani executed her lengths. Against right-handers (RHBs), she primarily attacked the full-length zone, where she picked up two crucial wickets. She mixed it up with a few good-length and short-of-good-length deliveries, keeping the batters under pressure.
Another key takeaway from her spell was her ability to build pressure through dot balls. Charani bowled 10 dots in 4 overs, with a dot ball percentage of 41.6%. The fact that she got 4 overs on debut speaks volumes considering DC rotate their back up bowlers a lot (as we explained yesterday).
With figures of 4-0-28-2, an economy rate of 7.00, and a knack for targeting key lengths, Charani made a statement debut. If she continues to evolve, she could emerge as a match-winner for Delhi Capitals throughout WPL 2025.
Data from ESPNcricinfo and the Jio broadcast.
How RCB Shut Down Meg Lanning
Written by Uma Mahesh. You can follow him on Twitter and LinkedIn.
A day after Meg Lanning’s fluent 50 against Mumbai, RCB executed a tactical masterclass to shackle the DC skipper. Lanning, renowned for her precision in finding gaps, was restricted to just 2 runs off 12 balls before falling to Renuka Singh.
Lanning thrives on off-side play, with 57% of her runs this season coming through covers and point. MI allowed her width, enabling her to dominate. RCB, in contrast, tightened their lines, denying her the room to free her arms.
They consistently targeted the channel outside off, forcing her to play away from her body. Renuka and Kim Garth used back-of-a-length deliveries with extra bounce, making it difficult for her to cut or drive fluently.
Adding to Lanning’s struggles, Renuka also deployed sharp in swingers aimed at her stumps, making her second-guess her footwork. With no width on offer, she was forced into defensive strokes, unable to rotate strike. RCB’s disciplined lengths cut off quick singles, further building pressure. DC’s skipper, known for her composure, looked unusually rattled.
Key to RCB’s plan was neutralising Lanning’s go-to strokes - the square drive (27%), pull (16%), and flick (15%). By cramping her for space and maintaining a disciplined length, they ensured she couldn't find easy scoring options. Frustrated by the lack of width and strike rotation, she attempted an aerial stroke to break free but mistimed it, offering a simple catch to Ellyse Perry at mid-on.
This wasn’t just a dismissal; it was a statement of intent. RCB learned from MI’s mistakes, executing a high-level tactical approach to disrupt one of the game’s most composed batters. It didn’t matter today, but could be crucial if RCB make it back to the knockouts this year.
Data from Jio broadcast.
How Pandey teased Mandhana into nicking it to the slips
Written by Aksay Ram M. You can follow him on Twitter, Instagram & YouTube.
Coming into this match, Shikha Pandey had dismissed Smriti Mandhana 2 times in 5 innings, with the RCB captain only averaging 12 runs at a strike rate of 92 against the DC pacer.
Pandey started off poorly against Mandhana tonight. Bowling over the wicket, she pitched a ball on the leg side towards Chinnaswamy’s shorter side, and Mandhana duly dispatched it to the fine leg boundary. However, the DC bowler quickly learnt her lesson.
The next ball was a bit fuller on middle stumps but not full enough to entice the left hander into a drive, and was easily defended. To improve her odds against Mandhana, Pandey changed her angle of release. She went wider of the crease and angled the next ball away from Mandhana. It brought immediate returns, as Mandhana was beaten.
The other day, UP Warriorz’s Kranti Goud found that this line and length can truly trouble Mandhana. But, it’s a fine line. Too short, and it’s easy to defend (or even pull). Too long, and Mandhana can hit it. But, just right, and you can get her to nick it. The numbers back this up; she averages 27.4 against right arm pacers, but has fallen 29 times to them in franchise cricket powerplay overs. It her biggest weakness.
But, Pandey could afford to take the risk. Since 2024, she has averaged a wicket every 19.3 runs against left hand batters in franchise cricket powerplay overs, compared to 35 against right hand batters.
So, Pandey bowled fuller and wider, utilising the pitch’s swing to tempt the RCB opener. A dot was followed by a length ball that was hit for 2 runs. But Pandey was undeterred, and got Mandhana to edge to slip on the next delivery.
4 balls, 6 runs and another wicket conceded to Pandey. Mandhana’s rotten form in Bengaluru continues, as her triumphant return as a WPL champion ended with just 50 runs in 4 innings, at a strike rate of 102.04 & an average of 12.50.
Data from ESPNcricinfo & Cricmetric.
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