Image: Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Capitals / © X (Twitter)
Both teams have lost their last two out of three matches, which will add extra pressure on them when they arrive in Vadodara for this weekend’s match. The Mumbai Indians have played 5 games this season and won just 2, while the Delhi Capitals have managed to win just 1 out of 4 games played so far.
Each team has undergone constant change at the top of the order, with Mumbai using four different opening combinations from the five matches played. With their run rate in the first six overs being just 6.5 runs, they currently have the lowest overall run rate of all teams in the WPL.
The opening combinations that Mumbai have tried out have averaged just 5.68 runs per wicket this season, which is again the lowest of all teams in the WPL and puts them 3rd worst in all of WPL history. Because of this issue at the top of the order, players like Nat Sciver-Brunt and Harmanpreet Kaur have had to take unnecessary risks to try to score runs as quickly as possible.
Falling short in a big way, the Delhi Capitals’ (DC) power play has seen a decline in the bowlers. In the past three years, there hasn’t been any instance when the DC’s teams gave up an average of more than seven runs per over during this period. This year, the DC Powerplay economy rate is currently at 8.6, which ranks second lowest to any of the teams in any of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) seasons thus far.
The departure of Shikha Pandey to UP Warriorz and the slow physical development of Marizanne Kapp have forced the DC Team to try new combinations using Kapp with Nandani Sharma, Lucy Hamilton, and Chinelle Henry to assist the slow bowler. However, they have been unable to find early wickets: they have only secured three powerplay wickets through four games, and this is the lowest number of these during this season.
Both sides have failed to perform at their highest levels during the initial powerplay, which means the first six overs will be a crucial deciding factor of this match, or perhaps, the overall contest.