The Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals, and UP Warriorz are the three teams that have moved to the knockout stages as the league stages of the first season of the Tata WPL come to a close. The Delhi Capitals defeated the UP Warriorz last night to advance directly to the Tata WPL finals after defeating the Mumbai Indians on NRR. The Mumbai Indians will now play the UP Warriorz in the Eliminator in a few days to determine who advances to the opening title match against the Delhi Capitals on March 26th, 2023. UP Warriorz will have to step up and perform a collective performance in the batting unit. Mumbai Indians will have to be at their best against one of the most robust bowling units in the whole tournament.
Team-wise Batting Figures in Powerplay
Let’s have a look at how the batters have fared in the powerplay. Out of all the teams, the Delhi Capitals’ top order and mainly their openers have made the best use of the field restrictions in the powerplay. The DC openers have managed to create a huge impact, scoring at a 150+ strike rate (151.74) and averaging around 50 runs in the powerplay (48.56). The Capitals hold the record for the most runs (87) in the powerplay so far in the season.
RCB’s struggles to get over the line were very much evident throughout the season, but their top order has managed to give them a decent start to their innings in the powerplay; in fact, they have the 2nd best strike rate (131.6) in the season when it comes to scoring in the powerplay. They have struggled in the middle phases of an inning, losing wickets in clusters, leading to their downfall in the batting department. They have the third-best average (34.45) in the powerplay.
Team-wise Bowling Figures in Powerplay
Mumbai Indians, a team that has enjoyed an unbeaten run with five consecutive wins on the trot, went past every opposition until they met UP Warriorz, who managed to halt their winning run in the season. Much like DC, their openers have provided them with good starts in the powerplay. They have the second-highest average (40.62) in the season in powerplay overs. The high-performing top order of the Mumbai Indians was one of the crucial reasons for their dominance in the season. The Gujarat Giants had a poor season, the one they would love to forget, and their struggles in the batting unit reflected in their performance in the powerplay.
They have the worst average (15.6) among all the teams in the season when it comes to scoring in the powerplay. The UP Warriorz have also had a scratchy start in the powerplay, struggling to take advantage of the field restrictions. They are averaging under 20 with the bat in the powerplay (18.5), and they have the lowest strike rate (102.78) among all the teams in the powerplay this season. Despite their struggles in the powerplay overs, they have entered the knockout stages to play the Eliminators against the Mumbai Indians.
Conclusion
All three teams playing in the knockout stages will be looking forward to having a good start in the powerplay to calm their nerves and put the pressure back on the opposition in the early stages of the game. Particularly UP Warriorz will have to step up and play with more intent in the powerplay to give them a good start in a crucial game if they are to put any pressure on the Mumbai Indians.
