UP Warriorz vs Mumbai Indians – Mumbai Aim To Exploit Warriorz’s Poor Fielding

Whatever could go wrong for Mumbai Indians did go wrong on the opening night of the Delhi leg. It was only their second loss in five games, with the net run rate taking a small dent. Yet, they’re still in a better position than the UP Warriorz, who have lost three out of five. Unlike Mumbai, who minimized the margin of defeat, Warriorz were soundly beaten by Royal Challengers Bangalore on Monday.

The format leaves teams with little time to brood, so maybe getting back into the thick of things within 48 hours of a defeat shouldn’t be bad. A loss to Mumbai on Thursday could make the playoffs push hard, with the Warriorz relying on mathematical possibilities.

The Warriorz have dropped ten catches in the tournament. They have let off Smriti Mandhana, Laura Wolvaardt, Phoebe Litchfield, Meg Lanning, and Shafali Verma. Compounding Warriorz woes is the absence of Vrinda Dinesh due to a shoulder injury. Kiran Navgire, at the top of the order, has shown sparks of brilliance.

Alyssa Healy is yet to hit top gear. Barring Grace Harris, the batting seems a tad diffident. Chamari Athapaththu is yet to come into her own. She was out to a DRS error against RCB, and while allowances can be made for that, the cut-throat nature of competitive sport will leave her with little leeway, especially with someone of Danni Wyatt’s caliber waiting in the wings.

Mumbai will reflect on a shoddy bowling show against Delhi Capitals as the big reason for their downfall. Shabnim Ismail shattered the record of bowling the fastest delivery in women’s cricket, but that was only a small consolation. The spinners, especially Amelia Kerr, got taken for plenty, and the early meltdown in the power play with the bat left their middle order with too much ground to cover.

Sajana Sajeevan’s last-ball six saved Mumbai’s blushes in the last game. Otherwise, they could’ve easily been in the Warriorz’s position. Mumbai leaked 69 runs off the last five. It almost seemed they had no plan to restrict a marauding Jemimah Rodrigues. They need to be tighter against a Warriorz side, ready to go for broke.

Yastika Bhatia is due a big game; she can pip Healy as your current form's first-choice keeper. Hayley Mathews, who opens the batting and bowls off-spin, is a value pick in terms of an allrounder, while you can go big on Kiran Navgire and Pooja Vastrakar among the Indian players.

The one who could maximize your points and give you big returns is the big-hitting Grace Harris. The result is too close to call, but take a punt on the Warriorz, for the conditions could suit them.