TACTICAL PREVIEW
Follow UsMumbai Indians (MI) won the inaugural edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) in 2023, but they had to do it the hard way, first having to win the Eliminator against UP Warriorz before they could triumph in the final against Delhi Capitals (DC).
There is no ‘easy’ way to win the WPL, of course, but life is so much more comfortable for the team that finishes top of the table, for they go straight into the grand finale, skipping the whole playoff thingy.
Having lost out top spot on Net Run Rate (NRR) last time around, defending champions MI will be keen to right the wrongs this edition. And standing between them and a direct spot in the final once again are the Delhi Capitals, who find themselves top in this edition, too, albeit with five group games still left.
As of 10.30 PM IST on Friday (March 8), DC were in pole position to consolidate their lead up top, but a historic collapse saw them slip to a scarcely believable one-run defeat at the hands of the UP Warriorz.
Only time will tell if DC will go on to rue the UP defeat, but the Capitals’ loss on Friday has opened the door for MI to go top of the table.
Overcoming an inspired Gujarat Giants, who recently got off the mark by thumping Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), won’t be easy, but MI will fancy their chances of racking up their fifth win of the season, especially having demolished the Giants in the reverse fixture in Bengaluru a fortnight ago.
As for GG, the maximum they can get to is 8 points, which is unlikely to seal them a spot in the playoffs. But funnier things have happened in the past.
Regardless, after a forgettable start, the Beth Mooney-led side will look to do everything on their part to ensure that they finish the season strongly, even if they fail to make it to the Eliminator.
Things to watch out for
Can Beth Mooney build on the scintillating 85* against RCB?
Gujarat skipper Beth Mooney entered WPL 2024 in red-hot form, but the left-hander had a forgettable start to the season, failing to cross the 25-run mark in each of her first four innings this season. It was a ‘like captain, like team’ situation for GG, who also began their season with four consecutive losses.
But Mooney finally turned it around in the contest against RCB on Wednesday (March 6) as she struck a match-winning 85* in good batting conditions to get Gujarat off the mark for the season. There, Mooney played two contrasting roles in the same knock, first playing second-fiddle to Laura Woolvardt before stepping up pace after her partner’s dismissal. Case in point, after bringing up her fifty off 32 balls, the left-hander added 35 more runs off 18 balls to take GG to a mammoth, match-winning 199.
Mooney will be up against an in-form Mumbai attack on Saturday (March 9), but the Giants will need her to build on the fifty against RCB and continue to score big.
Amelia Kerr meets her favourite (bowling) opponent again
In 16 WPL matches, Amelia Kerr has taken 22 wickets and about 36% of those wickets have come against Gujarat Giants, her favourite opponents in WPL. Against GG, Kerr averages just 5.9 and her economy (4.7) is even better. She was the wrecker-in-chief the last time these two sides met, with the leggie taking 4/17 to help Mumbai steamroll the Giants.
Considering all this, this fixture against the Giants couldn’t have come at a better time for Kerr. She’s in need of wickets, having taken just one wicket across the last 4 matches. She’s gone wicketless in each of the last three matches.
She’s still been firing with the bat, but both Kerr and MI would love for the all-rounder to punish the opponent on both fronts.
A return to form with the ball would bode well for Mumbai, with the knockouts imminent.
Gujarat need Meghna Singh to find consistency with the ball
Ineffective. Ineffective. SURPRISE 4-WICKET HAUL. Ineffective.
It’s what Meghna Singh’s WPL 2024 has looked like, so far.
The 29-year-old from Uttar Pradesh, who was bought for INR 30 lakh at the auction table, has played each of GG’s five matches so far, but, outside the 4-fer against DC in which she ran through the Capitals’ top-order, has looked out of sorts.
Five games into the season, Meghna has leaked runs at 9.62 RPO and has conceded over 9.00 RPO in all but one match. She has completed her quota of four overs just twice and has struggled for consistency.
If GG are to miraculously turn their season around, they’ll need every individual to turn a corner and perform to the best of their abilities. Meghna, being an experienced Indian international, will have to hit the ground running and turn into a reliable entity for the Giants.
Ground Details
We've seen four games at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi so far in WPL 2024, and all four games have been won by the team batting first. There have been a mix of high and moderate scoring games but in every single game, batting has gotten difficult with time.
Unsurprisingly, spin has proven to be the trump card for sides here in Delhi. 63.3% of the wickets have been taken by spinners, and they've averaged just 22.0 compared to the 32.7 of pacers. They've also registered an economy of 7.8 compared to pacers' 8.1. In the clash between DC and UP on Friday, 11/17 wickets fell to spin. Not sure about a run-fest, but be prepared to witness a spin-fest on Saturday.
Tactical Insights
> Amelia Kerr has never bowled in the powerplay in the WPL, but MI might very well look at giving the leggie a cheeky over up-front. Kerr has an exceptional record against both GG openers: she’s dismissed both Mooney and Wolvardt 4 times each in T20s. While Mooney averages 20.5 against her, Wolvardt averages just 17.00 against the leggie.
> Tanuja Kanwar could be GG’s weapon to stop Hayley Matthews. This season, Matthews averages just 8 against left-arm spin with 3 dismissals. Incidentally, it was Tanuja who accounted for the wicket of the Windies right-hander in the reverse fixture in Bengaluru.
> Ashleigh Gardner has been outstanding with the new ball in WPL 2024 — avg 17.5, E.R 5.00 — but has been taken apart in the middle-overs, with her E.R reading 9.00 and with her having taken no wickets in this phase. Across her last 3 overs in the 7-15 phase in WPL 2024, Gardner has conceded 35 runs. MI’s SR against spin in the middle-overs (132.8) is the second-lowest among all sides, but they should try to put Gardner under pressure, should the off-spinner bowl in the middle phase.
Probable XIs
Mumbai Indians: Hayley Matthews, Yastika Bhatia (wk), Nat Sciver-Brunt, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Amelia Kerr, Pooja Vastrakar, Amanjot Kaur, S Sajana, Humaira Kazi, Shabnim Ismail, Saika Ishaque
Gujarat Giants: Beth Mooney (c & wk), Laura Wolvaardt, Phoebe Litchfield, Veda Krishnamurthy, Dayalan Hemalatha, Ashleigh Gardner, Kathryn Bryce, Tanuja Kanwar, Meghna Singh, Mannat Kashyap, Shabnam Md Shakil
