🏏 WPL 2024: Match 19: MI W vs RCB W at Arun Jaitley Stadium Delhi🏏

 🏏 WPL 2024: Match 19: MI W vs  RCB W at  Arun Jaitley StadiumDelhi🏏

Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore will be coming into today's contest with different motives. 

While one would be eyeing the top spot on the points table, the other would be chasing a top-three finish. For either to find themselves there, they would need a win.

A win secures RCB a place in the top three. A loss, on the other hand, depending on the margin, leaves hopes open for the Gujarat Giants and UP Warriorz to make it to the next round. Similar is the situation for Mumbai Indians in their battle for the top spot alongside the Delhi Capitals.

Both teams are also coming off having faced contrasting results in tight finishes in their respective previous games. While Harmanpreet Kaur's blazing 95 powered the Mumbai Indians to an unlikely victory over Gujarat Giants, RCB came close but fell one short against the Delhi Capitals.

More importantly, while MI are more or more settled in their style of play extending from the previous season, and have found some additional support from Amanjot Kaur and S Sajana this season, RCB are still to find their perfect batting combination with the existing personnel. 

In that department, the reliance, for now, continues to be heavily on Smriti Mandhana, Ellyse Perry, and Richa Ghosh. In their last league game, they would need the Sophies - Devine and Molineux - to play more impactful roles with the bat.

It's all headed for an exciting finish to the league stage.

Team News:

Mumbai Indians: Despite a bit of hiccup in the previous game, Mumbai Indians are unlikely to make any changes

Probable XI: Hayley Matthews, Yastika Bhatia, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Harmanpreet Kaur, Amelia Kerr, Amanjot Kaur, S Sajana, Pooja Vastrakar, Shabnim Ismail, Humaira Kazi, Saika Ishaque

Royal Challengers Bangalore: S Meghana had missed the previous game and it remains to be seen if she'll be available for RCB's last encounter of the league stage. There could also be a case of bringing Simran Bahadur back into the side to strengthen the fielding and lower order batting.

Probable XI: Smriti Mandhana, Sophie Molineux, Ellyse Perry, Richa Ghosh, Disha Kasat/ S Meghana, Georgia Wareham, Shreyanka Patil, Simran Bahadur/Shraddha Pokharkar, S Asha, Renuka Thakur

What they said:

"Would tell the girls to keep their heads high and come back stronger the day after," - Smriti Mandhana, RCB skipper, after her team's 1-run loss against the Delhi Capitals.

"It was a very big game for us, we had to win so that we wouldn't put any pressure on us (going forward)... Have an eye on finishing first to get into the final" - Harmanpreet Kaur, MI skipper, after the win against Gujarat Giants. 

What to expect: Certain pitches have aided high-scoring games, while others have made even small targets quite daunting. Irrespective of which pitch they play on, it will be low and slow, a kind of surface with which both teams are quite familiar by now.

Having already sealed their place in the playoffs for the second consecutive season, reigning champions Mumbai Indians Women are going to face Royal Challengers Bangalore Women after few hours!

 It is going to be the penultimate game of the league phase of this season. Although the Mumbai Indians women have already made it to the playoffs, there is something more at stake for them. The Harmanpreet Kaur-led side are level on points with Delhi Capitals Women, having bagged five wins from seven games to have 10 points. A win will increase MI-W’s chances of finishing first on the table and progressing directly to the final.

As for RCB-W, they have no other option than winning this tie. With six points from seven games, they are level on points with the UP Warriorz Women, who have an inferior net run rate.

 It would be disappointing if Smriti Mandhana and Co. do not make it to the playoffs, having already lost out on a top-three spot in WPL 2023.

Although the Mumbai Indians Women are already in the playoffs, they still have something to play for. They're tied with the Delhi Capitals Women on points, with 10 points from five wins out of seven games. Winning this match could help them finish at the top of the table and advance directly to the final.

Royal Challengers Bangalore Women must win this match to stay in contention. With six points from seven games, they're tied with UP Warriorz Women but have a lower net run rate. Failing to win would be a letdown for them.

Pitch report

The pitch in Delhi is renowned for not favoring high-scoring encounters, particularly as the season progresses, resulting in slower wickets. Therefore, the upcoming game is not expected to be a high-scoring affair. Spinners can anticipate ample turn from the surface, and a competitive score would likely range between 155 to 160 runs. Given these conditions, teams winning the toss will likely opt to bat first.

Weather Forcast

The temperature of Delhi City on Tuesday will be 31° Celcius during the day and 17° Celcius at night. The sky will be clear during the day and night.

In the previous clash between both sides in WPL 2024, MI Women won by 7 wickets. Batting first in the match, RCB Women failed to post a powerful total on the scoreboard. RCB Women lost openers Smriti Mandhana and Sophie Devine cheaply for single digits.

Later, Ellyse Perry shattered a wonderful knock of 44 runs. However, other batters failed to come up with a good show and RCB piled up 131-6 in 20 overs. Nat Sciver-Brunt and Pooja Vastrakar hunted 2 wickets each for MI Women.

During the chase, openers Yastika Bhatia and Hayley Matthews scored 31 and 26 respectively. Later, Amelia Kerr slammed a wonderful knock of 40 runs to drive MI Women to an easy victory within 16 overs.

RCB Women have faced MI Women three times in the past in the Women’s Premier League and the latter crushed them with ease on all occasions. Below we take a look at live telecast, live streaming, and broadcast details of the MI Women vs RCB Women encounter.

The MI Women vs RCB Women encounter will be a thrilling clash to watch out for. RCB Women will eye their first-ever win against MI Women as well as a playoff spot.

Harmanpreet Kaur-led second-placed Mumbai Indians, who have already sealed a playoff spot, come into the match on the back of their captain inspired 7-wicket victory over UP Warriorz.

Harmanpreet smashed an unbeaten 95 off 48 balls to help MI pull off a 191 run chase in the final over of the match. Yastika Bhatia also contributed with a 36-ball 44 earlier in the innings for MI, who sealed their second successive playoff spot. Third-placed RCB led by Smriti Mandha, who can seal a playoff spot with a win, are fresh from a 1-run heartbreaking loss to Delhi Capitals in their most recent outing in WPL. RCB rode on Richa Ghosh fifty to almost pull off an 181 run chase, but fell narrowly close. RCB and MI will clash in Delhi for the first time, having met in Mumbai and Bengaluru in their previous encounters.