🏏WPL 2023 - UP Warriorz W vs Delhi Capitals W: Match 20🏏

🏏WPL 2023 - UP Warriorz W vs Delhi Capitals W: Match 20 at Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai on 21/03/2023 at 7:30 PM IST 🏏

Halfway through Monday's double-header in WPL 2023, UP Warriorz had not only secured the last remaining playoffs berth but also knocked out the bottom-two sides in a single swipe, all but rendering the last couple of league games as dead rubbers. And then later in the night, Delhi Capitals trounced table-toppers Mumbai Indians - in an equally brutal thrashing that they were at the receiving end of in the reverse fixture - to breathe new life into the last league day. As things stand, all three teams to have qualified for the knockouts stand a chance of grabbing the top spot, and therefore a direct ticket to Sunday's finale.

Should MI lose the Tuesday (March 21) afternoon game to a resurgent Royal Challengers Bangalore, UPW (8 points) and DC (10 points) - who clash last at the Brabourne Stadium - will be in that advantageous position of knowing exactly what they need to do to secure themselves the top of the table finish. However, Meg Lanning & Co have a head start of not just two extra points but also the best net run-rate amongst all three sides.

Capitals put in a clinical performance with the ball first to restrict the high-flying MI for a meagre 109/8 before their in-form top-three gobbled up the target in nine overs to give their NRR a push massive enough that it dislodged Harmanpreet Kaur's side from the perch. Like Mumbai's, DC's two defeats in the competition also exposed the lack of game time for the lower-order that has gone relatively unchallenged due to a star-studded and in-form top-six who have done the heavy-lifting. They did bounce back strongly from both those defeats on the back of impressive bowling performances, and would be banking on their squad depth, and perhaps Warriorz's inconsistency, to pick up the two vital points tomorrow.

Alyssa Healy-led Warriorz have come into their own lately, but struggled to sustain the winning momentum from the first half of the competition despite a strong squad. They have wins and defeats of all kinds, of margins varying from encouraging to demoralising. They were the first ones to concede a game to a struggling RCB but were also the team that brought the seemingly unstoppable MI juggernaut to a screeching halt. That win followed by yet another high-scoring last-over thriller against Gujarat Giants on Monday, starring Grace Harris in leading role again, meant Warriorz had enough points to make the playoffs cut-off with a game still in hand. And now, maybe even a chance to flip the narrative completely with a victory margin significant enough that it sends them directly to the title clash, of course with a little helping hand from an already-eliminated RCB.

UP Warriorz vs Delhi Capitals Women Pitch Report

The pitch at the Brabourne Stadium is a balanced track. Spinners will play a major role at this venue as the ball tends to grip off the surface. Batters will have to spend some time in the middle before they can start playing their strokes freely.

UP Warriorz vs Delhi Capitals Women Weather Forecast

Temperatures in Mumbai are expected to hover between 26 and 30 degrees Celsius with high humidity.

Team News

UP Warriorz

Warriorz continue to rely on spin as their strength. In their last two games, they've used only 5/40 overs of pace. The 16-year-old leggie, Parshavi Chopra, has grabbed her chances with both hands and built an impressive little CV so far - opening her WPL account with both of Giants' half-centurions, D Hemalatha and Ash Gardner. Expect them to back their winning combination.

Probable XI: Devika Vaidya, Alyssa Healy (C & wk), Kiran Navgire, Tahlia McGrath, Grace Harris, Deepti Sharma, Sophie Ecclestone, Simran Shaikh, Parshavi Chopra, Anjali Sarvani, Rajeshwari Gayakwad

Delhi Capitals

Capitals have stuck to the same XI for two games now and wouldn't want to tweak it either after that resounding win, but at the same time would be hoping for an improved batting performance on their return to Brabourne's batter-friendly conditions where they failed to overhaul Giants' modest 147 on their last trip.

Probable XI: Meg Lanning (c), Shafali Verma, Alice Capsey, Jemimah Rodrigues, Marizanne Kapp, Taniya Bhatia (wk), Jess Jonassen, Radha Yadav, Arundhati Reddy, Shikha Pandey, Poonam Yadav/Tara Norris

Players to Watch

With scores of 12, 8 and 1 in her last three innings, Warriorz captain Alyssa Healy has hit a rough patch. But she has the reputation of being a big-match player. As the Eliminator nears, there couldn't have been a better chance than this to roar back into form and carry the confidence of doing so against a gun bowling attack.

Don't let the raw numbers fool you. She may have just two wickets in five games, but Arundhati Reddy had a rhythm to her bowling that Lanning applauded unprompted after the win against Mumbai. Reddy also appears to have cranked up her pace, and seemed menacing with her nip-backers during her spell of 1 for 10 in three overs in that match.

What they said?

"Box ticked, yeah, but I mean leave it to us to have one entertaining game. I don't really have words. Our batting unit just held their nerve and got the job done but full credit to the bowling as well for just hanging in there." - Alyssa Healy on the humdinger UPW won to qualify for knockouts

"Just another repeat performance." - Meg Lanning on what she's looking from her team going forward

Stats and Trivia

• Among teams that have finished in the top three, Capitals' pace bowler Shikha Pandey's ten wickets is the most among seamers in the competition.
• Harris' strike rate of 170.07 is third best in the competition among batters who have made at least 200 runs, with Sophie Devine second with a strike rate of 175.
• Ecclestone's economy of 6.21 is the best among those who have picked up at least ten wickets this season

Thank you Raji for the thread and for tagging me. ❤️

It will be a competitive match I think. 😊

Thanks for the tag😃 DCW FTW

Warriorz continue to rely on spin as their strength. In their last two games, they've used only 5/40 overs of pace. The 16-year-old leggie, Parshavi Chopra, has grabbed her chances with both hands and built an impressive little CV so far - opening her WPL account with both of Giants' half-centurions, D Hemalatha and Ash Gardner. Expect them to back their winning combination.

A warm welcome to the final league game of the inaugural season of the WPL between UP Warriorz and Delhi Capitals.

The beauty of the tournament has been that different teams have shown their caliber at different stages. The fact that the team which will earn a direct qualification to the finale hasn’t been decided yet, there’s everything to play for DC.

As MI have won their previous game, it has become clear that it will be mandatory for UP to play the eliminator. A win for DC will ensure that they make it directly to the finals as their NRR is already superior to that of MI. They are certainly looking like a formidable unit at present and their all-round brilliance was on show against MI in their previous game.

UP Warriorz can’t be taken lightly though. They have won two games in a row and have momentum on their side too. Can DC coast to victory tonight? Or will UP get the better of DC and help MI to become the first finalistA