🏏WPL 2023: DC Women vs MI Women - Match 7 - 7:30PM IST 🏏

🏏MI Women vs DC Women on 09/03/2023 at Dr DY Patil Sports Academy, Navi Mumbai🏏

WPL 2023: Match 7

Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals are two in-form teams, led by two in-form captains. So far, they've not only won both their games, but outplayed their opponents in all departments, registering dominant victories. Their overseas players have proved their worth, and the local Indian cricketers have also clicked. The Orange and Purple Caps have already shuffled between the two teams.

The merry, victory run is out to end for one of the two - chinks in the armour about to be exposed and the momentum about to be lost.

More significantly, for as early as the Thursday clash at the DY Patil Stadium between the two teams comes in the tournament, if both manage to sustain this form, it could prove to be a critical encounter for a direct berth in the final of the inaugural Women's Premier League.

With the top order performing well. neither team has had to test its batting depth. A few early wickets could change that, maybe even for the better from a long-term perspective in the tournament. The bowling options, on the other hand, have been utilised well but have rarely had to deliver under pressure, especially for Mumbai Indians.

Under pressure of a high-quality and in-form opposition, it remains to be seen who continues their winning run and takes the top spot on the points table.

Delhi Capitals Women vs Mumbai Indians Women Pitch Report

The pitch at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy is a belter of a track. There is no respite for bowlers while bowling on this track. The batters can play their strokes freely right from the start of their innings and fans can expect another high-scoring affair here.

Delhi Capitals Women vs Mumbai Indians Women Weather Forecast

The temperature on Thursday is expected to range between 24 and 38 degrees Celsius.

Thanks for tag. Lets see who wins. Good luck both

Team News:

Mumbai Indians: The Harmanpreet Kaur-led side has rarely been under pressure so far. They are unlikely to make any changes to their XI.

Probable XI: Yastika Bhatia, Hayley Matthews, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Harmanpreet Kaur, Amelia Kerr, Pooja Vastrakar, Izzy Wong, Amanjot Kaur, Humaira Kazi, Jintamani Kalita, Saika Ishaque

Delhi Capitals: Unlike the Mumbai Indians, all of DC's players have played a part in their victories, chipping in at different times. There is little reason to make any alterations.

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

Players to watch

Shortish boundaries combined with flat surfaces could mean that it could be a perfect time for Marizanne Kapp to show her experience mainly with the ball. In the opening contest, she was a tad expensive after her cameo with the bat and if she does play her third successive game, she could be one of the key players to Capitals' success.

Amelia Kerr contributed with bat and ball in the opening contest and was taken for runs against Royal Challengers, though she picked up a couple of wickets to hasten the end. Having had the better of Lanning for some time now in international cricket, that is a player battle to relish.

Stats and trivia

Both Capitals and Mumbai have two players each among the top five scorers in the WPL so far

Mumbai have played three uncapped players while Capitals are yet to play one

Quotes

"Seeing the enjoyment and smile on her face out [from] her playing cricket again, that's something I am pleased with, as her team-mate in a number of teams. It's hard to believe Meg Lanning could get better. She was already incredible before her break, but has come [back] with a new lease of life."

Jess Jonassen heaps praise on her captain Lanning

"Being a bit more responsible at the crease is something I had to pull on with the West Indies and that has helped me in my T20 game as a whole. Probably, [I] wasn't getting the number of runs I would have wanted in the past due to giving away my hand quite a bit. Now that I am being forced with responsibility at the international level, it's helped me realise how to plan my T20 innings."

Hayley Matthews credits her T20 batting improvement to the responsibility she has got

Six games in, and we are left with only two unbeaten sides in the WPL - the Delhi Capitals and the Mumbai Indians. Both have, to their credit, looked head and shoulders above the rest of the pack, showing the sort of tactical awareness, big-game temperament and fearlessness required to dominate such competitions. By the time they are done tonight, though, only one will be left with a spotless record. And at this point, your guess is as good as mine as to who that side might be.

The Delhi Capitals and the Mumbai Indians have firepower in abundance. A case could be made that neither side has used their batting resources fully, yet, have found ways to obliterate the opposition. The Capitals have scored more than 200 in the two games they have played. Mumbai did so in their opener too and then barely broke into a sweat chasing 156 against Royal Challengers Bangalore.

On the bowling front too, both teams have plenty of quality and variety. Mumbai have several bowling options and while the Capitals might not have as many, they seem to have a bowling unit capable of winning matches on their own. In fact, that is what this game could boil down to. The set of match-winners that stand up tonight will probably tilt the game their team's way.

Both Delhi and Mumbai have lost just six wickets across their two games, indicating that their batting is in fine fettle. Tonight, though, they will both come up against good bowling units, and in a high-pressure game, their commitment to a fearless brand of cricket will be tested too.

Mumbai Indians currently sit atop the points table, boasting a superior NRR than the Delhi Capitals. The latter, though, could leapfrog them if they were to win tonight. That, plus the psychological advantage it will hand their rival, means this is a game neither would really want to lose.

It's toss time. Lanning gives the coin a spin and it lands in her favour. Delhi Capitals will bat first. She reckons the pitch will stay the same throughout. Harmanpreet says that they were looking to chase anyway. Unchanged XI for the Mumbai Indians.