By 
The Mumbai Indians and the UP Warriorz will square off in the Eliminator of WPL 2023 on Friday, March 24, at the DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai.
With the Delhi Capitals finishing ahead of the Mumbai Indians on Net Run Rate, Harmanpreet Kaur’s side has to play this knockout clash against Alyssa Healy’s UP Warriorz for a spot in the final against DC.
MI looked like they were all set to seal the top spot for themselves with five successive wins, but it was UPW that halted their winning run, with their spin bowling quartet highlighting MI’s batting deficiencies on a slowing track at the DY Patil Stadium.
They were tied down by the DC bowlers in the next match, suffering their second successive defeat before finishing the group stage with a win over RCB.
While they should enter this match as the favorites, MI will be concerned about Hayley Matthews’ form. Her free-flowing batting in the first few games set the tone for MI’s dominance, but she hasn’t found it easy against the spinners, with the wickets becoming slower.
Meanwhile, the batting troubles continue for the UP Warriorz, with the team overly reliant on their Australian all-rounders, Tahlia McGrath and Grace Harris. They’ll want more from captain Alyssa Healy on the batting front to win this game.
However, they should feel confident about their bowling, with their spin bowling quartet of Sophie Ecclestone, Deepti Sharma, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, and Parshavi Chopra firing on all fronts.
With them up against Amelia Kerr, Saika Ishaque, and Hayley Matthews, we should get a good battle of the spinners in what should be a sluggish yet entertaining cricket match on Friday.
Match Details
Date: March 24, 2023
Time: 7:30 PM IST
Venue: DY Patil Sports Academy, Navi Mumbai.
Weather Forecast
A warm and cloudy evening is expected at the DY Patil Stadium, with little chance of rain interruptions. The temperature will be around 30 degrees Celsius.
Pitch Report
The track at the DY Patil Stadium has been the less high-scoring of the two venues, with the wicket slowing down as the tournament has progressed. The bigger boundaries and turn on offer for the spinners should make this an even contest. A first innings total of above 160 should be competitive.
Probable XI
The Mumbai Indians have mostly remained unchanged throughout the tournament. They’re unlikely to tinker with their winning combination before such an important game.
Mumbai Indians (Probable XI): Hayley Matthews, Yastika Bhatia (WK), Nat Sciver-Brunt, Harmanpreet Kaur(C), Amelia Kerr, Amanjot Kaur, Humairaa Kazi, Pooja Vastrakar, Issy Wong, Jintimani Kalita, and Saika Ishaque.
The UP Warriorz have tinkered with their side quite a bit throughout the tournament but seem to have found their best playing XI. They rested Grace Harris and Rajeshwari Gayakwad in the final group-stage game, but they should return to the side for this one.
UP Warriorz (Probable XI): Alyssa Healy(C/WK), Devika Vaidya, Kiran Navgire, Tahlia McGrath, Grace Harris, Deepti Sharma, Simran Shaikh, Sophie Ecclestone, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Parshavi Chopra, and Anjali Sarvani.
WPL 2023: Match Prediction
While the Mumbai Indians returned to winning ways in their final group stage game, their successive defeats to the UP Warriorz and the Delhi Capitals highlighted their weakness against quality bowling units.
On what should be another spin-friendly bowling track, the UPW spinners will have the edge over the MI batters. The in-form Tahlia McGrath and Grace Harris are likely to bail their batting order out of any trouble the MI bowlers might cause.
While this should be a close game, it’s advantage UP Warriorz heading into it.
Prediction: UP Warriorz to win the Eliminator and make the Final
Comments