3 concerns for MI ahead of the WPL 2023 playoffs

Mumbai Indians (MI) find themselves stuck in a rough spot after a dream start to the inaugural Women’s Premier League (WPL). The Harmanpreet Kaur-led side were off to a flier and secured qualification for the playoffs with ease after winning their first five matches. However, cracks have begun to surface in the team and they have now slumped to consecutive losses, risking their chances of a first-place finish after the league stage.

MI lost to UP Warriorz (UPW) by five wickets and then to the Delhi Capitals (DC) by nine wickets, which really highlighted their woes. Batting first in both games, MI were only able to amass 127 and 109 in those defeats and while the pitches have slowed down over use, their bowlers have not been able to back up the batters or put pressure on the opposition batters as well. With their heavy defeat against Meg Lanning and Co. on Monday, March 20, Mumbai have slipped to second spot and will have to secure a win in their last league match against the in-form Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) if they wish to put pressure on DC for the highly prized first spot.

On that note, let’s take a look at the three primary issues facing the Mumbai Indians ahead of the playoffs.

#1 Hayley Matthews and Saika Ishaque’s poor form

One of the major reasons why the franchise was flying high in the formative stages of the tournament was due to Hayley Matthews’ and Saika Ishaque‘s rich vein of form. The Caribbean all-rounder, a bargain buy in the auctions, was influential with both the bat and ball. She was among the best openers in the league and was well in the race for the Orange Cap.

However, she has slid of late, scoring only 52 runs in her last four matches. Ishaque, on the other hand, was addicted to taking wickets and had built quite a nest atop the Purple Cap standings as well. Much like her teammate Hayley Matthews, she has had a set of forgettable outings.

Wicketless across the last three encounters, the left-arm spinner conceded her Purple Cap to Sophie Ecclestone. Additionally, she endured the worst outing of the season in the previous encounter. She conceded 36 runs off her two overs to prolong the dry run.

MI will be hoping that the duo spring back into form ahead of the playoffs to improve their chances of winning the title.

#2 Wickets falling in clumps

Another concern for the team is their batting, particularly their lack of partnerships in the middle overs. During their defeat to the UP Warriorz, the team lost five wickets in the overs from 6-16. In their most recent outing against the Delhi Capitals, MI lost four wickets in the powerplay itself.

Even in their win over the Gujarat Giants (GG), they were not their convincing self with the bat, especially towards the end of the innings. In that case, they lost five wickets in the death overs, which is still conceivable considering that the platform was set and the batters had to go for boundaries. Losing wickets in a cluster in the powerplay or the middle overs is never a good sign for the batting unit.

This is something that the franchise will be looking to resolve as they have struggled on tough batting surfaces.

#3 The sheen of invincibility has gone

MI had a certain aura around them after announcing their arrival with a record win over the Gujarat Giants in the inaugural match of the tournament. They steamrolled opponents as the tournament progressed and their biggest strength was the fact that they showed absolutely no weaknesses. More than their defeats, the nature of those has worked against the team and in favor of their opponents.

The tame set of losses has spruced up opponents who will feel that they have more than just a chance against the former league leaders, completely devoid of momentum. They are set to face Royal Challengers Bangalore in their final league stage encounter on Tuesday, March 31 at the DY Patil Stadium. Will the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side finish at the top of the table after the end of the group stage?

Let us know what you think.

Poll :

0 votes

‘;});pollOptions.innerHTML = pollOptionsDom;pollCount.innerHTML = totalVotes + ‘ votes’;}function updatePollCountOnAnswer(selectedOption) {var pollData = pollDataDefault;renderPollWidget(pollData, selectedOption, true);}function renderPollWidget(pollData, selectedOption, isAnswered) {if (!pollData) return;pollData.option1_count = pollData.option1_count || 0;pollData.option2_count = pollData.option2_count || 0;pollData.option3_count = pollData.option3_count || 0;pollData.option4_count = pollData.option4_count || 0;if (isAnswered) {if (selectedOption == “option1”) pollData.option1_count += 1;if (selectedOption == “option2”) pollData.option2_count += 1;if (selectedOption == “option3”) pollData.option3_count += 1;if (selectedOption == “option4”) pollData.option4_count += 1;}var totalVotes = Number(pollData.option1_count + pollData.option2_count + pollData.option3_count + pollData.option4_count);if (totalVotes && !Number.isNaN(totalVotes)) {var option1Percent = pollData.option1_count / totalVotes * 100;var option2Percent = pollData.option2_count / totalVotes * 100;var option3Percent = pollData.option3_count / totalVotes * 100;var option4Percent = pollData.option4_count / totalVotes * 100;var optionPercentages = [option1Percent, option2Percent, option3Percent, option4Percent];var pollOptions = £(“#poll-options”);var pollCount = £(“#poll-count”);var pollOptionsDom = ”;var optionsArray = [‘option1’, ‘option2’];if (pollData.option3 !== “” && pollData.option3 !== null) {optionsArray.push(‘option3’)}if (pollData.option4 !== “” && pollData.option4 !== null) {optionsArray.push(‘option4’)}optionsArray.forEach(function (option, index) {var clickHandler = ‘onclick=”answerPoll(event, \” + option + ‘\’)”‘;var optionClass = [‘poll-option’];if (selectedOption) {optionClass.push(‘poll-option-answered’);clickHandler = ”;}if (selectedOption === option) {optionClass.push(‘poll-option-selected’);}pollOptionsDom += ”;if (selectedOption) {var widthPercentage = optionPercentages[index] < 5 && optionPercentages[index] != 0 ?

5 : optionPercentages[index];if (selectedOption === option) {if (widthPercentage > 97) {pollOptionsDom += ‘‘;} else {pollOptionsDom += ‘‘;}} else {if (widthPercentage > 97) {pollOptionsDom += ‘‘;} else {pollOptionsDom += ‘‘;}}}pollOptionsDom += ‘

‘ + pollData[option] + ‘

‘;if (selectedOption) {pollOptionsDom += ‘

‘ + Math.round(optionPercentages[index]) + ‘%

‘;}pollOptionsDom += ”;});pollOptions.innerHTML = pollOptionsDom;pollCount.innerHTML = totalVotes + ‘ votes’;if (totalVotes > 10) {pollCount.classList.remove(“hidden”);}trackArticlePollImpression(pollData);}}function answerPoll(e, selectedOption) {e.preventDefault();try{permutive.track(‘PollResponse’,{“pagetype”: “Articlepage”,”category”: “Cricket”,”answer”: {“text”: e.target.textContent},”question”: {“text”: pollDataDefault.question}});} catch (err) {console.log(err);}updatePollCountOnAnswer(selectedOption);var isDesktop = “1”;var gaPayload = {“question” : pollDataDefault.question,”answer” : e.target.textContent,”answer_option” : selectedOption.replace(“option”, “Option “),”category”: “Cricket”,”page_location”: window.location.href,}if (isDesktop) {gaPayload[“device”] = “Desktop”;} else {gaPayload[“device”] = “Mobile”;}gtag(“event”, “ARTICLE_POLL_RESPONSE”, gaPayload);var url = ‘https://a-gotham.sportskeeda.com/polls//response’;var data = {“poll_type”: “article”,”option”: selectedOption}pureJSAjaxPost(url, data, onPollResponseSuccess.bind(this, selectedOption), onPollResponseFail.bind(this, selectedOption), null, false);}function trackSponsoredLinkClick(e) {}var articlePollImpressionTracked = false;function trackArticlePollImpression(pollData) {var pollElement = £(“#poll”);var intersectionObserverForArticlePoll = new IntersectionObserver(function(entries) {entries.forEach(function(entry) {if (articlePollImpressionTracked) return;if (!entry.target || !entry.isIntersecting || entry.intersectionRatio < 0.5) return;setTimeout(function() {if (isInViewport(entry.target)) {articlePollImpressionTracked = true;var isDesktop = “1”;var gaPayload = {“question” : pollData.question,”category”: “Cricket”,”page_url”: window.location.href,}if (isDesktop) {gaPayload[“device”] = “Desktop”;} else {gaPayload[“device”] = “Mobile”;}gtag(“event”, “ARTICLE_POLL_IMPRESSION”, gaPayload);intersectionObserverForArticlePoll.unobserve(entry.target);}}, 1000);});},{threshold: 0.5});if (pollElement){var isAnswered = pollElement.querySelector(“.poll-option-answered”);if (!isAnswered) {intersectionObserverForArticlePoll.observe(pollElement);}}}]]>

Quick Links

More from Sportskeeda

“modalPopup.closeOnEsc = false;modalPopup.setHeader(“Why did you not like this content?”);modalPopup.setContentText(modalText);modalPopup.addCancelOkButton(“Submit”, resetRatingAndFeedbackForm, sendRating);modalPopup.removeCloseModalIcon();modalPopup.disableDismissPopup();modalPopup.open();} else {sendRating(index);}}function sendRating() {var requestPayload = {“post_id”: 1440896,”rating_value”: ratingValue}if (ratingValue > 3) {requestPayload.rating_feedback_type = null;requestPayload.rating_feedback = null;} else {if (!£(‘input[name=”drone”]:checked’) || !£(‘input[name=”drone”]:checked’).value) {showErrorMessage(‘option’);return;}if (!£(“.post-rating-feedback-note textarea”) || !£(“.post-rating-feedback-note textarea”).value) {showErrorMessage(‘note’);return;}var selectedOption = £(‘input[name=”drone”]:checked’).value;var feedbackNote = £(“.post-rating-feedback-note textarea”).value;requestPayload.rating_feedback_type = selectedOption;requestPayload.rating_feedback = feedbackNote;}pureJSAjaxPost(addratingAPI, requestPayload, onsaveRatingSuccess, onsaveRatingFail, function() {}, true);}function resetRatingAndFeedbackForm() {var activeStars = Array.from(£all(‘.rating span.rating-star.active’));for (var i=0; i < activeStars.length; i++) {activeStars[i].classList.remove(“active”);}if (£(‘input[name=”drone”]:checked’)) {£(‘input[name=”drone”]:checked’).checked = false;}var userNote = document.querySelector(“.post-rating-feedback-note textarea”);userNote.value = ”;modalPopup.close();}function onsaveRatingSuccess() {modalPopup.close();savePostIdInUserRatedPostsCookie();£(“#post-rating-layout”).classList.add(“hidden”);£(“#post-rating-message”).classList.remove(“hidden”);window.setInterval(function showMessage() {£(“#post-rating-widget”).classList.add(“hidden”);}, 3000);}function onsaveRatingFail() {console.error(‘Saving post rating failed!’);modalPopup.close();}function savePostIdInUserRatedPostsCookie() {userRatedPostIds.push(1440896);var expiryTime = new Date();expiryTime.setMonth(expiryTime.getMonth() + 12); // Expiry after 1 yearsetCookie(“user_rated_post_ids”, JSON.stringify(userRatedPostIds), expiryTime);}function isPostRatedByUser() {var userRatedPostIds = getCookie(‘user_rated_post_ids’);if (userRatedPostIds) {try {userRatedPostIds = JSON.parse(userRatedPostIds);} catch (err) {console.error(err);return false;}} else {return false;}if(userRatedPostIds.indexOf(1440896) >= 0) {return true;} else {return false;}}function getRatingCountByPostId(postId) {return new Promise(function(resolve, reject) {pureJSAjaxGet(getRatingCountBaseURL + postId + ‘/rating/count’,function(data) {try {data = JSON.parse(data);if (data.meta_value) {resolve(data.meta_value);}reject(“Failed to fetch rating count for the post:” + postId);} catch (err) {reject(“Failed to fetch rating count for the post:” + postId);}},function(err) {reject(“Failed to fetch rating count for the post:” + postId);}, true);});}function showErrorMessage(messageType) {var messageContainer + messageType + ‘-error’;£(messageContainerId).classList.remove(‘hidden’);window.setInterval(function () {£(messageContainerId).classList.add(“hidden”);}, 5000);}if (!isPostRatedByUser()) {getRatingCountByPostId(1440896).then(function(ratingCount) {if (ratingCount < 10) {£(“#post-rating-widget”).classList.remove(“hidden”);}}).catch(function(err){console.error(err);})}]]>

Tags:

book-my-garage listed on couponmatrix.ukcoggles listed on couponmatrix.ukcrowne-plaza listed on couponmatrix.ukdoggie-solutions listed on couponmatrix.ukmicralite listed on couponmatrix.ukturtle-bay listed on couponmatrix.uk
book-my-garage listed on couponmatrix.ukWhen your vehicle next needs a tune-up, always go through Book My Garage to get the best price possible. A space that allows you to compare and pick between dozens of local garages near you, it’s as cost-effective as it is convenient when there's a Book My Garage promo code to use with your booking. From the smallest filter change to a comprehensive service of your vehicle, find all you need to drive with ease at Book My Garage.
coggles listed on couponmatrix.ukMulti award-winning Coggles has always taken pleasure in maintaining a likeable rebellious streak: Founder Sarah Bage named the chain after her ex-husband’s secretary, after discovering he was having an affair with her. Your Coggles discount code won’t get you out of any marital infidelities you may be guilty of - but will save you large quantities of cash. Their stunning range of formal and casual designs will keep you looking fabulous at all times - but do be careful with all the extra attention you’re bound to attract…
crowne-plaza listed on couponmatrix.ukAfter a long day’s work, there’s nothing quite like a stay at a Crowne Plaza to put your body and mind at ease. Providing comprehensive comfort for business workers and travellers alike, you can sample and save on a stay of your own with the help of the latest Crowne Plaza deals here at Groupon. Nothing beats a delicious meal followed by a good night’s rest, so give your body the relief it deserve with a stay at Crowne Plaza today.
doggie-solutions listed on couponmatrix.ukFurry friends can be spoiled rotten with toys, beds, training aids and accessories galore from the pages of Doggie Solutions. Owners can use the Doggie Solutions discount codes found on Groupon to take the bite out of the total when they reach the checkout. Trading since 2003, Doggie Solutions offer a myriad of items for both canines and felines, with international shipping available for a long list of countries. Products available include training devices, crates and cages, collars, leads, food and supplements, and a whole host of accessories that will help you bond with your animal. Whether you’re training a puppy, looking to treat your pooch to a new toy, or you need a bed for your cat that isn’t your own, use a Doggie Solutions promo code to get what you need for less.
micralite listed on couponmatrix.ukMicralite creates award-winning travel buggies, cots and car seats, so travelling with your little one feels as smooth as can be. Crafted by engineers and parents, most Micralite buggies and prams are designed for babies from birth up to around three years old, so a Micralite travel system should take them up to their first steps and beyond! Life is expensive enough for new parents, so we’ve scooped up the latest Microlite discount codes and offers to help you save money on the essentials. Grab an offer from us and pick up a pram knowing you’re also covered by the Micralite three-year warranty.
turtle-bay listed on couponmatrix.ukTurtle Bay is everyone’s favourite Caribbean restaurant, serving up delicious meals, cocktails and impeccable vibes. From a bottomless brunch to a payday celebration, Turtle Bay caters to groups of all sizes for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and it’s got you covered whether you’re craving Caribbean jerk chicken, rum BBQ ribs, jackfruit curry or a spicy veggie burger. Book a table at your nearest restaurant and then use one of Groupon’s Turtle Bay vouchers for a tantalising reduction on your food bill.