RCB vs GG Match Prediction: Who will win today's WPL 2023 match?

This didn't seem possible even a week ago in the 2023 Women's Premier League (WPL). However, the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Gujarat Giants (GG) head into their clash after winning their previous match.

RCB and GG managed to grab some much-needed momentum ahead of Match 16 of WPL 2023 at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday, March 18. The match will be the second of a double-header, with fellow third-place contenders UP Warriorz (UPW) in action earlier in the day.

RCB notched up their first win of the campaign in their previous game against UPW. Some new tactics in the bowling powerplay yielded immediate results as Bangalore gleefully accepted the two points on offer.

However, they will know that a loss to GG will cripple their playoff hopes beyond salvation and will want to sustain their recently acquired momentum.

GG, on the other hand, managed to pull off an upset against second-placed Delhi Capitals (DC) in their last match. The bowling unit came up with a fighting display as DC played some poor cricket to be bowled out for 136. The Giants will take heart from the win and will also come into this contest high on confidence.

In the reverse fixture, GG beat RCB by 11 runs after amassing a whopping 201/7 in the first innings. Sophia Dunkley's rapid 65 was the difference between the two sides as Sophie Devine's relatively slower 66 went in vain.

Harleen Deol and Ashleigh Gardner, who have been in good form of late, made important contributions as well.

Which team will notch up two wins on the trot for the first time in WPL 2023?

---

WPL 2023, RCB vs GG: Smriti Mandhana and Co. eye sustained momentum

WPL 2023 - Royal Challengers Bangalore v Delhi Capitals

Both teams seem to be clicking as units. While GG have a revamped and in-form top order, RCB's team combination seems to have hit the right notes.

In Laura Wolvaardt, Harleen and Dunkley, the Giants have an imposing top three that could counter RCB's powerplay bowling threat. Despite the emergence of Asha Shobana as a middle-overs wicket-taker, the lack of early inroads could lead to Bangalore conceding another mountain of runs.

At the other end of the spectrum, Smriti Mandhana hasn't been able to buy a run. She will be up against her nemesis Gardner once again, and the southpaw will need to be careful not to play another silly shot to be dismissed. The rest of the top order, though, looks imposing.

Overall, while GG are arguably the better side on paper at the moment, RCB seem to be hitting their straps with more consistency and conviction. They can be backed to come away with two points on Saturday, although this is bound to be a close contest that could go either way.

Prediction: RCB to win Match 16 of WPL 2023.