WPL 2023
DC out to challenge MI’s top-spot
by crickethighlights.one Staff • Last updated on Sun, Mar 19, 2023
Even as Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals are the only two teams to have qualified for the playoffsso far, a lot remains riding for them when the top-two take on each other in their second faceoff of this season, on Monday (March 20). A victory for the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side will secure them a direct berth to the final, while a loss will keep Capitals hoping for a similar fate.
Despite the dominance that has ensured Mumbai Indians’ position at the top of the table from the opening game, UP Warriorz managed to expose their evident weaklink: a host of domestic Indian cricketers, most of whom have largely been shielded by an in-form top-order.
Much like the Warriorz, if Capitals manage to rip through MI’s top order early, they could be in with a contest, much unlike a one-way affair that the reverse fixture proved to be, at the same venue. However, that would need DC to counter the rich form that most of their top players are riding on, along with Saika Ishaque’s purple patch with the ball.
For Delhi, the early destruction that Meg Lanning and Shafali Verma were able to cause has been controlled to a reasonable extent in the recent games by different opponents. With a need to bounce back from the loss in the previous game against Gujarat Giants and to keep the hopes of topping the table alive, Capitals would hope to find the best version of their opening pair again.
When: Monday, March 20, 2023, 7:30 PM IST
Where: DY Patil Sports Academy, Navi Mumbai
What to expect: The average scores have dropped significantly in the recent games as the DY Patil Stadium, with teams scoring in and around the 130-run mark. Batting could be challenging yet again, but scores around the 150-160 mark being par.
Team News
Mumbai Indians
The table toppers are yet to give clarity of Pooja Vastrakar’s availability. If the all-rounder doesn’t return, they are unlikely to make a change to their XI.
Probable XI: Hayley Mathews, Yastika Bhatia (wk), Nat Sciver-Brunt, Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Amelia Kerr, Issy Wong, Amanjot Kaur, Humaira Kazi, Dhara Gujjar, Jintamani Kalita, Saika Ishaque
Delhi Capitals
Coming in for Tara Norris in the previous game, Poonam Yadav couldn’t get her full quota to make an impact,. But DC might be tempted to continue with her on what is expected to be a slow-ish surface.
Probable XI: Meg Lanning (C), Shafali Verma, Alice Capsey, Jemimah Rodrigues, Marizanne Kapp, Jess Jonassen, Taniya Bhatia (wk), Arundhati Reddy, Shikha Pandey, Radha Yadav, Poonam Yadav
What they said?
We didn’t play to our potential tonight. Our bowlers did an excellent job and I think they were 20-25 short. We didn’t take that many wickets but we contained them quite well – Meg Lanning, Delhi Capitals captain, after the loss against Gujarat Titans
