WPL 2023: 3 surprise picks for Dream11 Fantasy teams for UPW vs MI
The UP Warriorz (UPW) take on the Mumbai Indians (MI) in the 10th match of WPL 2023 on Sunday, March 12, at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai.
Both sides come into this game on the back of dominating wins. While the UP Warriorz chased down the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)'s target of 139 in 13 overs without losing a wicket, MI bowled out the Delhi Capitals (DC) for 105, before chasing it down with five overs to spare.
The table-toppers Mumbai Indians haven't been challenged by any team this season, and Alyssa Healy's UP Warriorz will want to change that record. Her form was the side's main concern, and her 47-ball 96 against RCB allayed all fears in that regard.
It'll be interesting to see how the league's best spinner Sophie Ecclestone tackles the threat of Hayley Matthews and international teammate Nat-Sciver Brunt, and that is just one of many exciting player battles to look out for in the upcoming clash. Let's now look at three differential fantasy cricket picks from this match.
#3 Pooja Vastrakar (MI)
Picking a bowler from the Mumbai Indians is a bit of a risk, given the sheer amount of options they have at their disposal. No bowler is guaranteed to bowl their full quota of overs and that applies to Pooja Vastrakar as well. However, she has done fairly well in the limited overs she has gotten with the ball, and up against a strong UPW bowling lineup, she might get to bat as well.
Barring the first match against Gujarat, MI have hardly lost any wickets with the bat and their middle or lower order has hardly been tested. However, against the likes of Sophie Ecclestone and Deepti Sharma, they might lose wickets and Vastrakar can score valuable runs batting at No. 6 or No. 7, apart from her bowling.
She could be a highly rewarding pick, albeit a risky one.
#2 Grace Harris (UPW)
After dropping her for the second match despite her POTM-winning performance in the first, the UP Warriorz brought Grace Harris back into the playing XI for their fixture against the RCB. She didn't need to contribute with the bat, what with UPW chasing the target down without losing a wicket.
However, the all-rounder sent down four overs of her medium pace, and that's despite being classified as a batter on Dream11. The Mumbai Indians bowlers pick up plenty of wickets and it's very likely Grace comes out to bat. Her powerful ball-striking should fetch her plenty of points, and that's in addition to what she does with the ball in hand.
With most Fantasy cricket players focussing on the MI and the UPW all-rounders, Grace Harris could go unnoticed, being a batter. She could be an excellent differential pick.
#1 Devika Vaidya (UPW)
The UP Warriorz' move to promote Devika Vaidya as an opener seemed to fix some of their troubles with the batting order. The southpaw made an unbeaten 31-ball 36 to ably support Alyssa Healy's blitzkrieg against RCB and is set to open the batting again for the Warriorz.
She's also a handy bowling option with her right arm leg-spin and could contribute with both the ball and the bat for her side. An all-rounder who opens the batting is always a valuable Fantasy cricket asset, especially when she's also a differential pick.