Daijiworld Media Network - Navi Mumbai

Navi Mumbai, Jan 16: Gujarat Giants captain Ashleigh Gardner won the toss and elected to bowl against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on a used wicket at the DY Patil Stadium here on Friday evening.

The Giants handed a debut to wicketkeeper-batter Shivani Singh, while Ayushi Soni was left out of the playing XI. Royal Challengers Bengaluru, meanwhile, went in with an unchanged lineup.

During the pitch report, former New Zealand cricketer Katey Martin said dew is expected to play a role later in the evening, adding that the boundaries are relatively small and the outfield quick. Gardner noted that DY Patil Stadium is traditionally a difficult venue to defend totals, which influenced her decision to field first.

RCB skipper Smriti Mandhana said she was not too concerned about losing the toss. She pointed out that her side had bowled first for most of the tournament and felt that batting first at a later stage was not necessarily ideal.

Both RCB and Gujarat Giants came into the contest with two wins each and were placed first and third on the points table, respectively. The winner of the match will move to the top of the standings with three victories.

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.