WPL 2023: 3 surprise picks for Dream11 Fantasy teams for MI vs UPW
Mumbai Indians (MI) and the UP Warriorz (UPW) go up against each other in the all-important Eliminator of WPL 2023 on Friday, March 24, at the DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai.
UPW's win over the Mumbai Indians towards the business end of the campaign led the way for the Delhi Capitals to overtake Harmanpreet Kaur's side and take the top spot in the points table. Alyssa Healy and Co. certainly have what it takes to get the better of MI and this should be a close and thrilling contest.
With this being such a high-profile match, it's sure to be a very popular one for fantasy cricket enthusiasts. Let's look at three differentials to help boost your team's chances of getting a huge haul of points.
#3 Issy Wong (MI)
While most MI players are pretty highly owned, Issy Wong is one player who has somewhat slipped under the radar. The England bowling all-rounder has had to showcase her batting abilities more in MI's recent games, with their batting order getting exposed by opponent spinners.
To her credit, Wong has played some crucial knocks with the bat and is likely to do the same today, with the UPW spin quartet likely to pose a threat to the MI batters. She has also been on the money with the ball in hand and could be their strike bowler.
Despite being classified as a bowler, she's well and truly an all-rounder, and is a terrific fantasy cricket option.
#2 Grace Harris
The reason why Grace Harris doesn't have that high an ownership yet is that she has been in and out of the team. She has produced plenty of match-winning performances so far, and after getting rested in UPW's last match, she should be fit and fresh for this crunch knockout match.
UPW's batting has been fairly sub-par throughout the tournament, with the side relying heavily on Grace Harris and Tahlia McGrath. That's unlikely to change against a quality MI bowling lineup that should put their batters under pressure.
Harris should star with both the bat and with her handy off-spin, and is another excellent fantasy cricket pick.
#1 Rajeshwari Gayakwad (UPW)
Left-arm spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad has recovered superbly after a bad start to WPL 2023, bringing her A-game to the fore as the wickets have slowed down and become more conducive for spin bowling. Alongside fellow left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone, Deepti Sharma, and more recently, Parshavi Chopra, Gayakwad has kept it tight and has been a dependable wicket-taking option for captain Alyssa Healy.
Most of MI's batting order is right-handed and Gayakwad's performance with the ball should have a major influence on this match. While selecting a pure bowler is a risk on any day in fantasy cricket, the conditions and the setting are right for a good haul of points from Rajeshwari Gayakwad.