Path to Playoffs: How Mumbai Indians Can Still Advance After Loss to Gujarat Giants

Vadodara:

Gujarat Giants finally broke the curse, beating Mumbai Indians for the first time since the inception of the Women’s Premier League (WPL). The Harmanpreet Kaur-led side enjoyed an 8- 0 record until a thrilling 11-run defeat at the BCA Stadium in Vadodara. The MI captain gave her best with the bat in the middle, smacking unbeaten 82 runs off 48 balls, but it wasn’t enough in the end as Mumbai are now on the brink of elimination.

They are still alive mathematically to qualify for the Eliminator but it’s currently out of their reach. Despite the defeat, Mumbai are currently third on the WPL points table because of the Net Run Rate and only that can help them progress to the Eliminator. 

How? That’s the question. Mumbai now need UP Warriorz to beat Delhi Capitals in the final league game of the WPL 2026. However, they can’t afford the Meg Lanning-led side to register a win by a big margin. For instance, if UP beat Delhi by a margin of 10 or 20 runs, Mumbai will progress to the Eliminator against Gujarat. 

The qualification scenario is yet to be released but in case Delhi pick up a win, Mumbai will automatically be knocked out. A small margin win by UP over Delhi can only rescue the two-time champions.

WPL 2026 points table

Gujarat qualify for second time

Gujarat had a stunning campaign, winning five of their eight matches in the ongoing season. In the clash against Mumbai, captain Ash Gardner and Georgia Wareham stitched an important 71-run partnership in the middle, which helped the side post a defendable total of 167 runs on the board. When it came to the chase, Gujarat managed to clinch wickets at regular intervals and that put Mumbai under immense pressure. Harmanpreet wreaked havoc in the end but she had very little support from the other end. 

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