Mumbai bank on experience against Warriorz's middle-order might

Big picture: Warriorz and Mumbai, a tale of contrasts

In this inaugural season of the WPL, UP Warriorz have specialised in doing the impossible. They announced their arrival with a blockbuster win, which Grace Harris delivered from what seemed like a point of no return. They lost to Royal Challengers Bangalore, who had lost their first five games on the trot, and halted Mumbai Indians' five-game winning streak.

Warriorz have made the playoffs on the back of a strong middle-order display. Of the 1161 runs Warriorz have scored, 663 have come from the middle order (Nos. 4 to 7), the most in the WPL. Tahlia McGrath and Harris have made the giant's share of these runs, both scoring in excess of 200.

Mumbai's middle order, in contrast, has only contributed 464 of their 1119 runs, and nearly half those middle-order runs have come from Harmanpreet Kaur. The other major contributor has been Amelia Kerr, who hit an unbeaten 45 in the tournament opener. Pooja Vastrakar and Issy Wong have blown hot and cold, however, and as a result Mumbai's batting has tended to lose fizz if the top order hasn't scored too many runs, as has been the case of late. Mumbai have lost two of their last three games, managing scores of 127 and 109 for 8 in those two losses.

Warriorz and Mumbai have used four uncapped Indian players each in the competition. Warriorz, though, have also regularly played Kiran Navgire and Anjali Sarvani - who have played only six T20Is each - and Devika Vaidya, who has played 13 T20Is. Navgire began the tournament with a half-century, while Sarvani has three wickets to show in her eight appearances. Only Vaidya hasn't left a mark yet, and was left out of Warriorz's last league game. Sarvani and Parshavi Chopra have complemented the experienced Warriorz bowlers in Sophie Ecclestone, Rajeshwari Gayakwad and Deepti.

Mumbai, meanwhile, have banked a lot on their established names. Save for Saika Ishaque, who has taken 13 wickets, Mumbai's other significant contributions, with both bat and ball, have come from the likes of Harmanpreet, Hayley Matthews, Nat Sciver-Brunt and Kerr.

They will hope for more from their uncapped contingent as they look to leap past Warriorz and set up a title clash with Delhi Capitals.

Form guide

Mumbai Indians WLLWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
UP Warriorz LWWLL

In the first four games of the WPL, left-arm spinner Saika Ishaque picked up 12 wickets at an economy rate of 5.85. This was at a time when the scores were high and the overall economy rate of all bowlers were 8.44. However, Ishaque has been wicketless in three of her last four outings while going at an economy rate of 7.78. The overall economy rate of the bowlers in this period (after March 14) was 7.60. A key cog in the Mumbai bowling line-up, all eyes will be on Ishaque in the Eliminator.

Sophie Ecclestone has been a consistent performer in the WPL, picking up wickets in each of her outings. Her economy rate of 6.22 is the best among bowlers with ten or more wickets in the competition. She has also shown glimpses of her ability with the bat under pressure. Expect the England spinner to step up on the big occasion.

Team news: Harris set for possible return

Mumbai haven't really shuffled their XI much unless they've had injury concerns. So expect them to field an unchanged side. If they look for a tweak with the tired pitches in mind, they could look at Chloe Tryon, given that she bowls left-arm spin to go with her hard hitting.

Mumbai Indians (probable): 1 Hayley Matthews, 2 Yastika Bhatia (wk), 3 Nat Sciver-Brunt, 4 Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), 5 Amelia Kerr, 6 Pooja Vastrakar, 7 Issy Wong/Chloe Tryon, 8 Amanjot Kaur, 9 Humaira Kazi, 10 Jintimani Kalita, 11 Saika Ishaque

Grace Harris missed Warriorz's last league game with what their head coach Jon Lewis referred to as "a minor injury". If she's recovered, she might return in place of Shabnim Ismail.

UP Warriorz (probable): 1 Alyssa Healy (capt & wk), 2 Shweta Sehrawat, 3 Kiran Navgire, 4 Tahlia McGrath, 5 Grace Harris, 6 Deepti Sharma, 7 Simran Shaikh, 8 Sophie Ecclestone, 9 Anjali Sarvani, 10 S Yashasri/Rajeshwari Gayakwad, 11 Parshavi Chopra

Pitch and conditions

It will be the 11th and the last game at DY Patil this WPL, where 60 of 114 wickets have fallen to spin. The spinners' economy rate of 7.72 at this venue is only marginally higher than the fast bowlers' 7.18. The pitch in Navi Mumbai is not as spin-conducive as the one at Brabourne Stadium, even though both Warrriorz's Ecclestone and Mumbai's Ishaque have picked up seven and eight wickets respectively here.

Stats and trivia

• The highest and the lowest team totals at the DY Patil Stadium in the WPL have come from Mumbai Indians - 207 for 5 in the opener and 127 against UP Warriorz.
• Three players from Mumbai and only one from Warriorz (Ecclestone) have taken more than 11 wickets