WPL 2023: RCB have nothing to play, but all to play as Mumbai’s party poopers

RCB
gave
themselves
a
glimmer
of
hope
with
the
victories
in
their
last
two
matches,
but
their
journey
in
the
first
season
has
taken
an
underwhelming
conclusion.
They
take
on
Mumbai
Indians
in
the
final
match
of
the
group
stage
on
Tuesday
(March
21).

The
Smriti
Mandhana-led
team
have
nothing
to
play
for
in
terms
of
progression
in
the
tournament,
but
they
have
all
to
play
for
when
it
comes
to
pride,
and
perhaps
as
party
poopers.

WPL
2023:
Mumbai
Indians
in
a
spot
of
bother

Their
opponents
Mumbai
Indians
have
slipped
from
their
top
spot
in
the
last
match,
after
their
hapless
performance
against
Delhi
Capitals.
Mumbai,
who
won
their
first
five
matches,
have
lost
the
last
two
and
are
now
facing
a
mini
blip.
They
were
blown
away
by
the
Capitals
in
the
last
match
as
the
latters
chased
a
moderate
total
of
110
down
in
just
9
overs,
which
not
only
ensured
DC
equalling
their
points
tally
with
Mumbai,
but
also
leapfrogged
the
Delhi
side
over
Harmanpreet
Kaur’s
team
courtesy
of
a
superior
net
run
rate.

RCB
can
dampen
the
party
for
Mumbai
Indians

In
the
WPL
format,
the
top
placed
team
in
the
table
will
directly
qualify
for
the
Final,
while
the
2nd
and
3rd
placed
team
will
play
out
an
eliminator
to
join
the
other
finalist.

With
Mumbai’s
recent
struggle,
this
will
be
an
opportunity
for
RCB
to
not
just
end
their
season
on
a
high,
but
damage
Mumbai’s
chances
to
qualify
directly
for
the
final.
RCB
have
been
excellent
in
the
last
two
matches.
They
won
their
first
match
against
UP
Warriorz,
and
then
chased
down
a
target
of
189
runs
in
fantastic
manner
against
Gujarat
Giants
to
secure
consecutive
victories.

MI
and
RCB
WPL
2023:
Contrasting
Fortunes

The
fortunes
of
Mumbai
and
RCB
have
kind
of
spiralled
in
the
exact
opposite
manner
in
the
last
couple
of
games.
MI
lost
their
last
two
games
after
five
consecutive
wins,
while
RCB
have
won
their
last
two
after
five
consecutive
defeats.

With
momentum
on
their
side
and
a
relative
lack
of
pressure,
RCB
will
surely
fancy
themselves
to
finish
with
a
W
and
end
their
season
in
style.
For
Mumbai,
the
situation
is
concerning.
They
were
sailing
in
this
tournament
and
looked
certain
to
finish
at
the
summit
with
games
to
spare.
With
the
sudden
change
of
scenario,
their
will
be
nerves
jangling
in
the
team.
Can
Sophie
Devine
and
co.
capitalize
and
pin
them?
We
will
know
it
soon.