Sophie Devine’s impressive power-hitting has kept the Royal Challengers Bangalore alive in the WPL, but the recent win by UP Warriorz against Mumbai Indians has boosted their chances of securing the third playoff spot. Even with a Devine intervention, it may be difficult for the Royal Challengers to prevent this. Let’s take a closer look at the qualification prospects for the three bottom-placed teams with only four games remaining in the league stage.
_ HOW THINGS STAND! Which two teams will join MI in the playoffs? _
_ This is how the points table look like after MI’s first loss & RCB’s massive victory yesterday!
_ BCCI _ #WPL #TATAWPL #WPL2023 #TeamIndia #BharatArmy pic.twitter.com/pVNkAOOn8E
— The Bharat Army (@thebharatarmy) March 19, 2023
RCB Need Better NRR
Royal Challengers Bangalore currently have a net run rate (NRR) of -1.044 after playing seven games, while the Gujarat Giants have an NRR of -2.511 after the same number of games. On the other hand, the UP Warriorz have an NRR of -0.117 after playing six games, and they already have six points. The Royal Challengers’ chances of qualification depend on them winning their last game and moving to six points, while the Warriorz lose their last two games against the Giants and Delhi Capitals.
Assuming that the three results go in that manner, three teams will be level on six points, and the NRRs will come into play. If we assume a 40-run margin in each of those games, with the winning team scoring 160, the NRRs will look like this: Warriorz -0.612, Royal Challengers -0.628, and Giants -1.893. Hence, the Royal Challengers will need a slightly bigger margin in one of those games, for example, a win by 43 runs instead of 40, to surpass the Warriorz’s NRR.
Therefore, the Royal Challengers still have a chance of qualifying, but they require multiple things to go their way, both in terms of results and their margins.
Gujarat Giants Almost Out
The run rate deficit for Gujarat Giants is so huge that they should start focusing on the next season. Even if they manage to score 160 runs and beat Warriorz by 100 runs, they would still require Warriorz to lose against Capitals by a massive margin of 112 runs to surpass them on NRR. Besides, the Giants would also need Royal Challengers to lose their final game against Mumbai, which seems highly unlikely.
UP Warriorz One Win Away
If UP Warriorz win one of their last two games, they will secure a place in the playoffs. Even if they lose both games but by narrow margins, they still have a chance to make it to the playoffs, as mentioned earlier.
Mumbai Or Delhi? Who Will Top The Table?
If Capitals beat Mumbai on Monday, then both teams will be level on 10 points with their last game coming up on Tuesday: Mumbai against Royal Challengers and Capitals against Warriorz. Thus, Capitals have a chance at the top spot, although their NRR is poorer (1.431 compared to 2.670 for Mumbai). However, if Capitals lose on Monday, then Mumbai Indians will be assured of the top spot.
