Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 continues its high-octane action as defending champions Mumbai Indians Women take on UP Warriorz Women in the 8th match of the tournament. Scheduled for Thursday at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy, this clash is a repeat of the 2023 Eliminator and promises to be a tactical battle between two star-studded line-ups.
Mumbai Indians enter this game with significant momentum after Harmanpreet Kaur pulled off a record-breaking chase against Gujarat Giants, becoming only the second player to cross 1,000 WPL runs. Meanwhile, the Warriorz, led by the legendary Meg Lanning, are desperate to climb the table after a stuttering start to their campaign.
The MI captain is in the form of her life. Coming off a match-winning knock against the Giants, she is currently the top run-getter of WPL 2026. Her ability to anchor the innings and explode at the death makes her the biggest threat.
As the most expensive player in the 2026 auction (₹3.20 crore), the pressure is on Deepti Sharma to deliver. Her recent 93-run unbeaten partnership with Deandra Dottin showed her batting maturity, but her off-spin will be crucial in neutralizing MI’s middle order.
MI vs UPW, WPL 2026: Match details
- Date and Time: January 15; 07:30 pm IST/ 2:00 pm GMT
- Venue: DY Patil Sports Academy, Navi Mumbai
MI vs UPW, Head-to-Head Record in WPL
Matches played: 7 | Mumbai Indians won: 5 | UP Warriorz won: 2 | No result: 0
DY Patil Sports Academy Pitch Report
The pitch at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy is considered ideal for batting, with a hard, true surface and reliable bounce throughout. In a night fixture, batters can expect the ball to come on smoothly, allowing them to play their shots with freedom and confidence. While the red-soil strip can offer some early assistance and extra bounce for the quicks, the compact boundaries and fast outfield heavily favour run-scoring. Historically, dew plays a major role as the match goes on, taking away grip for spinners and making ball control difficult, which is why captains often choose to field first and trust their side’s ability to chase.
Also READ: Not just RCB! Richa Ghosh picks another franchise capable of winning WPL 2026
Squads
Mumbai Indians: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Nat Sciver-Brunt, Hayley Matthews, Amanjot Kaur, G. Kamalini, Amelia Kerr, Shabnim Ismail, Sanskriti Gupta, Sajana Sajeevan, Rahila Firdous, Nicola Carey, Poonam Khemnar, Triveni Vasishta, Nalla Reddy, Saika Ishaque, Milly Illingworth
UP Warriorz: Meg Lanning (c), Phoebe Litchfield, Harleen Deol, Kiran Navgire, Deepti Sharma, Deandra Dottin, Shweta Sehrawat (wk), Sophie Ecclestone, Asha Sobhana Joy, Shikha Pandey, Kranti Gaud, Trisha Gongadi, Pratika Rawal, Chloe Tryon, Charli Knott, Shipra Giri, Suman Meena, Simran Shaikh
MI vs UPW, WPL 2026: Today’s Match Prediction
Case 1:
- Mumbai Indians Women wins the toss and bowl first
- UP Warriorz’s powerplay score: 40-50
- UP Warriorz’s total score: 160-170
Case 2:
- UP Warriorz wins the toss and bowl first
- Mumbai Indians Women’s powerplay score: 50-60
- Mumbai Indians Women’s total score: 180-190
Match result: Team bowling first to win the match.
This article was first published at WomenCricket.com, a Cricket Times company.
