With revenge on their minds, Mumbai Indians take on UP Warriorz in a thrilling WPL 2024 clash at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on March 7th. Both teams are coming off significant defeats, with the MI succumbing to a 29-run loss to Delhi Capitals and the Warriorz suffering a 23-run loss to the Royal Challengers Bangalore.
UP Warriorz in a do-or-die situation against Mumbai Indians
A win against Mumbai Indians is a must for the Alyssa Healy-led side, currently fourth on the points table with four points to keep their WPL Playoffs hopes alive. In terms of recent form, Healy set the tone with an outstanding performance in the Warriorz’s last match against the Royal Challengers Bangalore. Despite their loss, Healy’s impressive knock of 55 runs off 38 deliveries stood out, supported by notable performances from Deepti Sharma and Poonam Khemmar.
However, there are concerns regarding their bowling performance, with only Sophie Ecclestone and Deepti Sharma delivering consistently.
Mumbai Indians eye revenge:
Earlier Mumbai Indians fell to a 7-wicket loss at the hands of UP Warriorz in the reverse fixture sans Harmanpreet Kaur. Despite Hayley Matthews giving them a good start with 55 off 47 balls, Mumbai Indians could only score a 161-run total. A brilliant innings from Kiran Navgire and Alyssa Healy was enough to leave them without any points from the game.
On the other hand, Mumbai faced defeat against the Delhi Capitals in their previous match. While their bowlers struggled against the likes of Meg Lanning and Jemimah Rodrigues, there were positives to take away from the performance.
Notably, uncapped players Amanjot Kaur and Sanjeevan Sajana showcased promising performances, keeping Mumbai in contention for the majority of the match. However, their top order faltered on a favourable batting pitch, highlighting an area that requires improvement for the team. However, with Harmanpreet returning and Shabnim Ismail in a raging for Mumbai Indians will look to regain the top spot.
Arun Jaitley Stadium Pitch Report
The Arun Jaitley Stadium pitch proved to be batsman-friendly in the initial matches. The surface has recently changed, helping the batters settle in faster. With small boundaries, a significant number of runs are expected. The shorter boundaries make stroke play easier, leading to expectations of another high-scoring encounter at this venue. Consequently, batting second appears to be the preferable choice.
UPW vs MIW: Probable Playing XIs
UP Warriorz may consider reintroducing Tahila McGrath into the playing XI. Chamari Athapaththu has failed to make an impact so far, scoring only 8 runs in the previous game, prompting UP to contemplate this change. Mumbai are however expected to maintain their current playing XI unchanged.
UP Warriorz Women: Alyssa Healy (c & wk), Kiran Navgire, Chamari Athapaththu, Grace Harris, Shweta Sehrawat, Deepti Sharma, Poonam Khemnar, Sophie Ecclestone, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Saima Thakor, Anjali Sarvani
Mumbai Indians Women: Hayley Matthews, Yastika Bhatia (wk), Nat Sciver-Brunt, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Amelia Kerr, Amanjot Kaur, Pooja Vastrakar, S Sajana, Shabnim Ismail, Humaira Kazi, Saika Ishaque
UPW vs MIW WPL 2024 Squads:
UP Warriorz Squad:
Alyssa Healy, Anjali Sarvani, Deepti Sharma, Grace Harris, Kiran Navgire, Lauren Bell (withdrawn, replaced by Chamari Athapaththu), Laxmi Yadav, Parshavi Chopra, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Soppadhandi Yashasri, Shweta Sehrawat, Sophie Ecclestone, Tahlia McGrath, Danni Wyatt, Vrinda Dinesh, Poonam Khemnar, Saima Thakor, Gouher Sultana.
Mumbai Indians Squad:
Amanjot Kaur, Amelia Kerr, Chloe Tryon, Harmanpreet Kaur, Hayley Matthews, Humaira Kazi, Issy Wong, Jintimani Kalita, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Pooja Vastrakar, Priyanka Bala, Saika Ishaque, Yastika Bhatia, Shabnim Ismail, S Sajana, Amandeep Kaur, Fatima Jaffer, Keerthana Balakrishnan
WPL 2024 Details: UP Warriorz vs Mumbai Indians
- Date: March 7, Thursday
- Time: 7:30 PM IST
- Venue: Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
- Broadcast: Sports 18 (India), Fox Sports (Australia), Sky Sports (UK)
- Live Streaming: Jio Cinema (India)
