Mumbai: With two games left in the league stage, the Mumbai Indians will look to make the most of the opportunity and push for a first-place finish on the WPL points table, starting with the clash against in-form Gujarat Giants here Monday.
UP Warriorz’s win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru by 12 runs knocked the defending champions out from the race to the playoffs Saturday, confirming the qualification for Delhi Capitals, Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Giants in the process.
But what remains is the final classification of the points table. Harmanpreet Kaur’s MI, who return to the Brabourne Stadium here for the final leg of the third WPL — their home ground where they had won the inaugural edition in 2023 — will look for a top-place finish.
The team that tops the points table at the end of the league round will get a direct entry into the final, and MI, who play back-to-back matches Monday and Tuesday, will aim to go past DC, who are currently at the first spot with 10 points and a Net Run Rate of 0.396.
For MI, topping the table will also help them avoid a possible fourth game in a span of six days — the Eliminator — which could test the squad to the hilt in the hot and humid conditions here.
MI are currently third with 8 points and an NRR of 0.267, and if they win both these matches — against GG and RCB — they can finish at the top with a maximum of 12 points.
The Giants, currently placed second with 8 points and an NRR of 0.334, can finish at best with 10 points, provided they beat the Mumbai Indians, which would place them at an even keel with DC. In such a scenario, the NRR will determine how teams are placed on the points table.
The teams that finish second and third will meet in the Eliminator Thursday, with the summit clash slated to be played Saturday.
But it won’t be an easy task to begin with for MI, as the Giants have been on a roll, recording three heavy wins on the trot to make it to the final three.
Not only have the Giants’ batters been firing in unison, but their bowlers have also found their rhythm, which makes them a team to beat in this knockout round.
A maiden appearance in the WPL playoffs would certainly inspire the Giants, who turned things around after a dismal start that had them losing three of their first four matches.
On the other hand, MI have four wins and two defeats in six outings so far, which has helped them to make their third WPL playoffs.
Once again, overseas stars Nat Sciver-Brunt (309 runs and 8 wickets, Hayley Matthews (181 runs and 9 wickets), and Amelia Kerr (10 wickets) have been at the forefront of their charge with skipper Harmanpreet (126 runs) in tow.
For the Giants, the troika of skipper Ashleigh Gardner (235 runs, 7 wickets), Beth Mooney (224 runs) and Harleen Deol (200 runs) in the batting line-up have found strong backing from their bowlers.
West Indies’ all-rounder Deandra Dottin (132 runs, 9 wickets) hasn’t really put a foot wrong, but the revelation has been India’s uncapped Kashvee Gautam (9 wickets) this season. Tanuja Kanwer (7 wickets) is not too far behind.
Teams (from)
Mumbai Indians Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Akshita Maheshwari, Amandeep Kaur, Amanjot Kaur, Amelia Kerr, Chloe Tryon, Hayley Matthews, Jintimani Kalita, Keerthana Balakrishnan, Nadine de Klerk, Natalie Sciver-Brunt, Sajeevan Sajana, Sanskriti Gupta, G Kamalini (wk), Yastika Bhatia (wk), Parunika Sisodia, Saika Ishaque, Shabnim Ismai.
Gujarat Giants Ashleigh Garnder (c), Laura Wolvaardt, Bharti Fulmali, Phoebe Litchfield, Simran Shaikh, Danielle Gibson, Dayalan Hemalatha, Deandra Dottin, Harleen Deol, Sayali Satghare, Tanuja Kanwer, Beth Mooney (wk), Kashvee Gautam, Mannat Kashyap, Meghna Singh, Prakashika Naik, Priya Mishra, Shabman Shakil.
PTI
