By “If we can replicate our previous performance, we’ll be quite satisfied.” Luke Williams, the head coach of RCB, is aware that their rematch against Mumbai Indians in the WPL 2024 Eliminator won’t be easy.
MI-W vs RCB-W WPL 2024 Highlights: Stay tuned for live updates, the latest match scorecard, and highlights from the WPL 2024 eliminator
“MI-W vs. RCB-W – WPL 2024 Recap!”
Harmanpreet Kaur’s unbeaten 95 secured Mumbai’s playoff berth, but a loss to Royal Challengers Bangalore, led by Ellyse Perry, denied them a direct spot in the tournament final for the second consecutive year.
Mumbai’s Rollercoaster Season:
Despite being led remarkably by their captain, Mumbai hasn’t had a dominant run this season, with their five victories interspersed with three significant losses.
However, a motivated MI unit can be formidable. Just last year, UP Warriorz defeated MI to dent their direct qualification, only to be outplayed by MI in the subsequent Eliminator.
History Repeating?:
Echoes of last year’s comeback fuel MI’s determination to overcome RCB.
RCB’s Resurgence:
However, this isn’t the same RCB as last year, which lost five consecutive matches and was practically out of the knockout race early in the competition. The reformed and rejuvenated Smriti Mandhana-led team has shown resilience on the field and composure off it.
Unlike last year, RCB has seen different players stepping up at different times to help the team recover – from Asha Sobhana’s five-wicket haul on the opening night to Mandhana’s return to form, and from young Richa Ghosh’s emergence to the experienced Perry’s impactful performances.
While a couple of close games going their way could have made their journey easier, RCB remained in control of their fate until the end, which was a significant boost ahead of the “virtual quarterfinal” they treated their final league game against MI as.
Facing the Challenge:
RCB acknowledges the formidable task of defeating MI again and aiming for the final showdown.
When: Friday, March 15 at 7:30 PM IST
Where: Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
What to expect: The pitches prepared for the knockouts have been high-scoring in WPL 2024. Dew hasn’t been a major factor in the Delhi leg, and captains have opted to bat first. Weather-wise, no interruptions are expected.
Team News
Mumbai Indians:
Yastika Bhatia, who missed Mumbai’s last game due to illness, has recovered and is expected to return to the XI, with S Sajana likely to drop down the order. Priyanka Bala is expected to make way in the only change.
Royal Challengers Bangalore:
S Meghana, who was benched in the last few games, could return to the XI, possibly replacing Disha Kasat. RCB has various opening combinations to choose from, and they are likely to continue backing left-arm seamer Shraddha Pokharkar.
Did you know?
- MI has a 3-1 win-loss record against RCB in WPL.
- Amelia Kerr has been the Player of the Match in two of those three wins.
- Ellyse Perry is one run away from becoming the fourth batter to register 500 WPL runs, after Meg Lanning, Harmanpreet Kaur, and Shafali Verma.
What they said:
“Don’t you think history is repeating itself? Last year, we went through this. We played UP Warriorz a bit before the Eliminator, lost, and then bounced back against them.
We’re just looking at [the recent defeat to RCB] as a sign of good luck, hoping that history will repeat. Hopefully, we’ll see the same result we’d seen last year.” – Devieka Palshikaar, MI batting coach.
“Meghana missed out on the last game or two [since] we were trying out different combinations. It’s a really tough decision with her because she was influential in our early wins in the tournament. [But] there’s aspects of our team combinations that we wanted to keep trying different things as well.
We’ll have some meetings post practice today, and she’ll be in strong consideration in terms of the lineup for tomorrow,” – Luke Williams, RCB head coach, on benching S Meghana
