The final day of league stage action in the 2023 Women’s Premier League (WPL) will have a lot of stake despite the three teams set to qualify for the playoffs confirmed. Mumbai Indians (MI), Delhi Capitals (DC) and UP Warriorz (UZ) have qualified with Gujarat Giants (GG) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) having no chance to make the knockout stages.
However, Mumbai Indians’ humiliating nine-wicket defeat to Delhi Capitals (DC) has turned the tournament around on its head as the Harmanpreet Kaur-led team’s failure to seal their spot in the final has ensured that all three teams can confirm a direct spot in the final on Tuesday (March 21) with MI set to take on RCB and UP and DC going head-to-head with each other.
MI’s defeat to DC has also seen them lose the top spot in the league after holding it for the entire competition so far and put DC in favorable position to finish first in the table. For the unversed, the team that will top the league table will finish first in the table will directly qualify for the final while the second and third place team will face each other in the eliminator.
See league table
How can Delhi Capitals reach the final?
Delhi Capitals are top of the league and have their destiny in their own hands. A win over UPW will all but confirm their spot in the final unless MI defeats RCB by a huge margin earlier in the day. However, a defeat could prove costly as MI will have more points on the board if they win their game and push them down to the second spot.
How can Mumbai Indians reach the final?
For most parts of the last week, MI topping the table and booking the final spot seemed all but a formality. However, the Women in Blue do not have destiny in their own hands anymore. They not only need to beat RCB but also hope that UP defeats DC but not by a margin that is big enough to upstate their NRR. MI can still top the group even if DC wins, but they need to win their game by a massive margin for that.
How can UP Warriroz reach the final?
UP Warriorz can book their place in the final on Tuesday, but they have a mountain to climb. Their poor NRR means that they not just have to beat DC by a massive margin, but also hope that RCB inflict a heavy defeat on MI.
