🏏WPL 2026: Match 8: MIW vs UPWW at DY Patil on 15/01/26🏏

🏏WPL 2026: Match 8: MIW vs UPWW at Dr DY Patil Sports Academy, Navi Mumbai on 15/01/26 7:30PM IST🏏

The problems continue to mount for UP Warriorz (UPW). Three matches into the season, they remain the only winless side, and there is little respite as they head into their next fixture without a break, this time against an in-form Mumbai Indians (MI) who are chasing their third straight victory.

There were signs of encouragement in UPW's last outing, with their bowlers running Delhi Capitals close, but the batting again failed to provide adequate support. Captain Meg Lanning led from the front with a fluent fifty against her former franchise, but wickets fell easily around her.

UPW also found themselves on the wrong side of a tactical call. A day after the WPL witnessed its first-ever retired out, UPW became the second team to attempt it. But after Harleen Deol was retired out for 47, UPW lost their next four wickets for 11 runs.

They seem to have not figured out their batting order yet, persisting with Kiran Navgire as opener despite three low scores. Should Phoebe Litchfield be promoted to open? Or could Shweta Sehrawat be given a chance at the top, freeing Navgire to play a middle-order or finisher role? With the tournament moving quickly, UPW have questions to answer urgently.

MI, meanwhile, have a good headache to deal with. Nicola Carey has impressed with both bat and ball, while Hayley Matthews marked her return from injury with a reminder of her big-hitting. Amelia Kerr has continued to be impressive with the ball, and Shabnim Ismail has been on point in all three matches so far. That the only complication for MI is which of their overseas players to leave out - Carey, Matthews, Kerr or Ismail - when Nat Sciver-Brunt, who missed the previous game with illness, returns, underlines their strength.

Preview

UP Warriorz's slog in the WPL 2026 continues without reward as they head into tonight's clash with Mumbai Indians still searching for their first victory. Three games in, Warriorz have shown flashes of promise but have lacked the collective consistency required to turn strong positions into wins. A middle order that has faltered at key moments, coupled with a bowling unit that has struggled at times, has left them adrift early in the campaign. Mumbai Indians, by contrast, arrive in better spirits after winning two of their three matches so far.

MI's batting has been anchored by Harmanpreet Kaur, who has underlined her form with successive half-centuries. After opening the season with a loss to Royal Challengers Bengaluru, they have bounced back emphatically, registering a dominant win over Delhi Capitals and completing a successful 190-plus chase against Gujarat Giants. With momentum on their side, MI will be keen to make the most of the final stretch of games at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai before the tournament moves to Vadodara.

When: Thursday, January 15 at 7:30 PM IST

Where: Dr DY Patil Sports Academy, Navi Mumbai

What to expect: With seven matches completed at this venue, tired pitches might offer more help for the slower bowlers. Teams chasing have won four times this season, as opposed to three wins for teams batting first.

Team news:

Mumbai Indians: Hayley Matthews, who missed the first two games due to a shoulder injury, returned to the eleven for the previous game. She replaced an unwell Nat Sciver-Brunt. If the England all-rounder has made sufficient recovery, she is set to replace Amelia Kerr in the eleven.

Probable XI: Hayley Matthews, Gunalan Kamalini (wk), Nat Sciver-Brunt, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Nicola Carey, Sajeevan Sajana, Amanjot Kaur, Sanskriti Gupta, Poonam Khemnar, Shabnim Ismail, Triveni Vasistha

UP Warriorz: Despite the loss in their last game, UPW might stick to the same combination.

Probable XI: Meg Lanning (c), Phoebe Litchfield, Harleen Deol, Kiran Navgire, Deepti Sharma, Chloe Tryon, Shweta Sehrawat (wk), Sophie Ecclestone, Asha Sobhana Joy, Shikha Pandey, Kranti Gaud

Player to watch: Amanjot Kaur and Deepti Sharma

MI are stacked with allrounders including marquee overseas names but one India player continues to stand out. Amanjot Kaur has made a quiet but telling impact again this year. In MI's opening game against RCB, she bowled a tidy spell of 1 for 18 from three overs. Against Gujarat Giants, Amanjot was expensive with the ball, conceding 48 from four overs, but made up for it with the bat, scoring 40 off 26 balls. Her knock complemented Harmanpreet in a 72-run partnership as MI went on to win.

UPW may need to reassess how they are using Deepti Sharma. Against DC, she walked in at No. 9 in the 20th over, despite having scored an unbeaten 45 in the previous match. With the ball too, she was held back until the 15th over, but made an immediate impact, inducing a miscue from an on-song Lizelle Lee and finishing with 2 for 26 from three overs. In the opening game as well, Deepti bowled only three overs. For a player of her experience and familiarity with the conditions, is there scope for UPW to get more from her?

Key stats

• Matthews has been dismissed by Sophie Ecclestone three times in the WPL in 46 balls for 30 runs. However, she has a strong record against Deepti, against whom she scored 55 runs off 34 balls without being dismissed in the tournament.
• Sciver-Brunt has a similar record against Deepti, having scored 61 off 39 balls without being dismissed. She has been dismissed by Ecclestone only once and scored 61 off 40 balls against her in this league.

Pitch and conditions

The pitches in Navi Mumbai have largely been batting-friendly so far, but with several games already played at the venue, signs of wear and tear are beginning to show. The surface has allowed the slower bowlers to find some success, as was evident in the UPW vs DC match.

MI W vs UP W Probable Best Performers

Probable Best Batter: Harmanpreet Kaur

Harmanpreet Kaur could be the key batter in this clash. She is the leading run-scorer in WPL 2026, amassing 165 runs in three innings. In sublime form, she has the ability to dominate opposition bowlers and take control of the game with her flawless batting.

Probable Best Bowler: Amelia Kerr

Amelia Kerr could be the key bowler in this clash, as her spells are often match-defining. She has taken six wickets in three innings at an average of 12.83. Her ability to trouble batters consistently makes her a potential game-changer for her team.

Thanks for the tag Soni.

May the best team win.

Cheers..

Thank you, Soni, for the thread and for tagging me.

Best wishes to both the teams.

18:30 Local Time, 13:00 GMT: After losing a heartbreaker on opening night, MI have bounced back in emphatic fashion, winning their last two games to get their campaign firmly back on track. A big part of that resurgence has been their captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who has struck back-to-back fifties, leading from the front and giving her side the stability and firepower they were missing in that first outing. UP Warriorz, meanwhile, are still searching for their first win of the season. It’s been a tough start, with defeats in all their games so far, including another narrow loss last night. But there were positives to take, not least Meg Lanning’s return to form with a half-century - a sign that their new skipper is beginning to find her rhythm. So it’s a confident MI side up against a Warriorz team hungry to finally get off the mark. Momentum versus urgency, form against hope - Mumbai Indians versus UP Warriorz promises another intriguing chapter in WPL 2026. Toss and teams coming up..