WPL Captains. (Photo Courtesy – Twitter/X)
The Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2024 has taken the level of women’s cricket in India several notches higher as fans have witnessed riveting action in the 16 matches so far. Defending champions Mumbai Indians are once again bossing the second season as well, being on the top of the points table with five wins from seven matches while defending champions Delhi Capitals sit on the second spot with four wins from six matches having eight points.
Royal Challengers Bangalore are performing better this time around with three wins from six games on the third spot while UP Warriorz are also in the knockouts race with three wins from seven matches and are on the fifth spot. Meanwhile, Gujarat Giants have once again failed to leave a mark and are languishing on the last spot with one win from six games.
With just four more games remaining in the league stage, all teams still have a chance to qualify for the knockout stages. Mumbai have already sealed their spot after a seven-wicket win over Gujarat Giants and have a good chance of finishing on the top after a win in their last game. Notably, team finishing on the top will earn direct qualification for the final while teams finishing in second and third spot will battle it out in the Eliminator game to decide the second finalist. Let’s take a look at the qualification scenario for remaining four teams for each team one by one:
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Delhi Capitals – The Meg Lanning-led side are just a win away from qualifying for the knockouts. They have two games remaining against Royal Challengers Bangalore Gujarat and will be eager to win both of their remaining fixtures to have a chance at finishing at the top of the table and earn a direct qualification to the finals.
Royal Challengers Bangalore – The Smriti Mandhana-led side are on the third spot with three wins from six games. Their remaining two games are against strong teams Delhi and Mumbai. Hence, RCB will have to bring their ‘A game’ to the fore to win at least one of their remaining two fixtures to stay alive in the race and hope that UP doesn’t surpass their net run rate after a win in their last fixture. Furthermore, if RCB go on to win both of their remaining games, they also have a chance to finish on the top and earn a direct qualification to the finals, provided they surpass Delhi and Mumbai’s NRR.
UP Warrrioz – UP finished on the third spot in the previous season and were knocked out after a loss against eventual champions Mumbai Indians. Currently, the Alyssa Healy-led side are on the second-last spot (fourth) with three wins from seven games. They have their one game remaining against Gujarat which they will have to win by a huge margin to improve on their net run rate. Furthermore, UP will also have to depend on RCB’s results to qualify for the next stage. If RCB manage to lose both of their remaining games, it will clear the path for UP’s qualification. However, if Bangalore win one of their remaining two games, UP will have a herculean task of improving their net run rate which is currently at -0.365.
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Gujarat Giants -The Beth Mooney-led side is once again having a horrible season in the second edition as well, as they’re tottering at the last spot with one win from six matches. Their remaining two games are against UP and Delhi Capitals and GG require a win in both to keep their knockouts hopes alive. Furthermore, they will have to depend on the results of RCB and expect them to lose both of their remaining fixtures. Gujarat will also have the herculean task of improving their net run rate which is currently the worst among the five teams (-1.111).