WPL 2024: Mandhana's RCB eye playoffs berth, Harmanpreet's Mumbai Indians top spot

RCB's Smriti Mandhana (left) will face Mumbai Indians' Harmanpreet Kaur at 7 pm on March 12 in Delhi. (Photo: X)

WPL 2024 Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bangalore: Date, venue and time

It’s Harmanpreet Kaur vs Smriti Mandhana time again at the second edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2024. And, the stakes couldn’t be higher, for a win for either team – Harmanpreet’s Mumbai Indians or Mandhana’s Royal Challengers – will have a significant bearing on the top three rankings on the points table. It’s the 19th match of WPL 2024, and second-last of this edition’s league stage, and the fixture will take place at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Wednesday, March 12. The toss will take place at 7pm India time and the first ball is scheduled for 7:30pm.

WPL 2024 Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bangalore: Playoffs race – what the teams need to do

Wednesday’s contest being the last league-stage match for both teams, a victory over the Royal Challengers will take defending champions Mumbai to the top of the table with 12 points, strengthening their chances of direct qualification for Sunday’s final by dint of a first-placed finish in the league stage. Their only competitor for the spot, the Delhi Capitals, who, like Mumbai, have already booked their knockouts berth and have one game left and a win over the Gujarat Giants on Thursday will take Lanning’s Capitals to 12 points, too. Net run-rate will decide the eventuality if the two teams are tied on 12 points.

As for the Royal Challengers, a win against Mumbai will send them to their first playoffs in WPL history, as the two teams ranked below them – Alyssa Healy’s UP Warriorz and Beth Mooney’s Gujarat Giants – will not be able to equal their eight points. A loss against Mumbai, however, keep all three bottom-placed teams in contention for the third and final playoffs spot.

WPL 2024 Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bangalore: Recent form and previous encounter

The Royal Challengers are coming off a heartbreaking one-run defeat to the Capitals on Sunday that also saw the highest attendance – 23,453 – so far in the New Delhi leg of WPL 2024.

Mumbai, meanwhile, beat the Giants by seven wickets to seal their playoffs spot, thanks to a 48-ball 95 not-out from Harmanpreet.

WPL 2024 Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bangalore: Players to watch out for

Amelia Kerr of Mumbai Indians during a practice session at the Jamia Milia university ground in Delhi on March 11, 2024. (Photo: Prathiksha MK/Focus Sports/MI)

Chasing 182, 20-year-old Richa Ghosh almost took the Royal Challengers over the line with an unbelievable 29-ball 51 not-out. She ended up in tears when she was run out by Shafali Verma and Jess Jonassen at the non-striker’s end when her side needed two off the last ball.

Left-arm spinner Saika Ishaque took two wickets – of Phoebe Litchfield and Sneh Rana in the 15th and 20th over, respectively – against the Giants, though she went for 31 runs in her four overs. In Mumbai’s last four matches, she has picked up at least one wicket and could be a handful if on song against the Royal Challengers.

WPL 2024 Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bangalore: Squads

Humairaa Kaazi of Mumbai Indians during a practise session at the Jamia Milia university ground in Delhi on March 11, 2024. (Photo: Prathiksha MK/Focus Sports/MI)

MI: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Amanjot Kaur, Amelia Kerr, Chloe Tryon, Hayley Matthews, Humaira Kazi, Issy Wong, Jintimani Kalita, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Pooja Vastrakar, Priyanka Bala, Saika Ishaque, Yastika Bhatia, Shabnim Ismail, S Sajana, Amandeep Kaur, Fatima Jaffer, and SB Keerthana

RCB: Smriti Mandhana (c), Asha Sobhana, Disha Kasat, Ellyse Perry, Nadine de Klerk, Indrani Roy, Shradda Pokharkar, Renuka Singh, Richa Ghosh, Shreyanka Patil, Sophie Devine, Georgia Wareham, Kate Cross, Ekta Bisht, Shubha Satheesh, S Meghana, Simran Bahadur, Sophie Molineux

WPL 2024 Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bangalore: Coaches

MI: Charlotte Edwards (England)

RCB: Luke Williams (Australia)