Royal Challengers are running out of luck with only three matches remaining to make it to the best parts of the winning table. The team, however, has lost to the Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians, with both teams on a 2-game winning streak. That will change when they meet in Navi Mumbai on March 9, 2023.
Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians have won both of their previous matches. Any team that wins its third match in the TATA Women’s Premier League inches closer to the playoff spot. Meg Lanning-led Capitals are confident of securing a win, especially because the skipper has showcased a masterclass throughout the tournament.
Her 70 off 42 balls are worth remembering; 40 runs came from 10 boundaries, and 18 runs were registered on the scoreboard after the ball was sent to the air three times.
Jemimah has followed suit by handling the pressure in the middle overs. 34 off 22 balls seems to be a smaller number, but kudos to her for maintaining the momentum right from the beginning. The total tallied at 211 for 4 wickets when Jess Jonassen, the all-rounder, powered her shots with a strike rate of 210.0 by scoring 42 off 20 balls.
Shefali Verma demonstrated her ability against the RCB by opening the batting with Meg and scoring 84 runs. Smriti Mandhana was forced to consider her choices for ending the partnership. Richa Ghosh took a risk to catch the hard-hit shot that could have resulted in further runs for Heather Knight. Jemimah and Kapp also handled the middle overs in the first match.
Currently placed in the second spot, the Capitals could see their winning streak get a break in their next match with the Mumbai Indians The fan base, along with some of the online cricket betting sites, is inclined towards MI because of the type of performance the team has displayed.
Consider the very first match that was played with the Gujarat Giants. Harmanpreet Kaur-led MI secured a 143-margin victory despite losing Yastika Bhatia for a single off eight balls in the opening partnership. Hayley Mathews stood her ground to form an important partnership with 1-down. Kaur and Kerr later staged the event for a huge victory. That is why MI is at the top, even though DC has also won 2/2 matches.
The NRR determines the rank only if teams have the same number of wins. This is not going to be possible at the moment, and only one team – MI or DC – will take the top spot. Meaning, either MI or DC will climb to the first position, while the other team will be left behind to win other matches to qualify for the playoffs based on its NRR.
DC has Jemimah and Alice taking care of the middle overs with their bats. MI has Kaur and Amelia doing their bits. Bowling can barely be questioned since the side has been able to take all the wickets in their last two matches.
