Batbricks7

While the defending champions are tugging it out with Delhi Capitals for the top spot, the Giants are merely trying to stay alive in the competition.

Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Giants will be playing for two different motives when they take on each other at Arun Jaitley Stadium on Saturday. While the defending champions are tugging it out with Delhi Capitals for the top spot, in order to get a direct qualification to the final, Giants are merely trying to stay alive in the competition - with much of that fate left in the hands of other teams and results.

A winless run through the Bengaluru leg of the competition didn't help their cause much, but a thumping show by the openers - Laura Wolvaardt and Beth Mooney - in the previous encounter against RCB not only gave them momentum in the tournament, but also kept many other possibilities open.

A tournament which had injuries and withdrawals for the Giants even before the tournament had started out, has become worse with the exit of Harleen Deol heading into the last stretch of the league phase. The match-winning performance by Wolvaardt and Mooney notwithstanding, the rest of the batters failed to mount pressure in the death. It's been a tournament where their batters have largely struggled. The dependency of the inexperienced bowling attack to go with some sub-par catching by the fielders doesn't help their case much.

So while all teams in the tournament - except Mumbai Indians - would be cheering them on to gain their second consecutive win, can they execute the best of what they promise on paper?

When: Saturday, March 9, 2024, 7:30 PM IST

Where: Mumbai Indians vs Gujarat Giants, Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi

What to expect: On the low and slow pitch of Feroz Shah Kotla, the teams batting first have found a lot more success. It should be yet another situation of win-toss-and-bat.

Team News:

Mumbai Indians: Even as the defending champions would have hoped to put in a better batting performance in the previous game, they are unlikely to make any changes to their XI.

Probable XI: Hayley Matthews, Yastika Bhatia, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Harmanpreet Kaur, Amelia Kerr, Amanjot Kaur, S Sajana, Pooja Vastrakar, Shabnim Ismail, Humaira Kazi, Saika Ishaque

Gujarat Giants: Bharti Fulmali has been drafted in as a replacement for Harleen Deol, but she is unlikely to find a place in the XI.

Probable XI: Laura Wolvaardt, Beth Mooney, Phoebe Litchfield, Veda Krishnamurthy, Ashleigh Gardner, Dayalan Hemalatha, Kathryn Bryce, Tanuja Kanwer, Meghana Singh, Mannat Singh, Shabnam Shakil