WPL 2023: RCB have nothing to play, but all to play as Mumbai's party poopers

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Royal Challengers Bangalore are out of the inaugural Women's Premier League. UP Warriorz's victory over Gujarat Giants secured the former's place in the playoffs, but confirmed the exit of the Giants and RCB.

RCB gave themselves a glimmer of hope with the victories in their last two matches, but their journey in the first season has taken an underwhelming conclusion. They take on Mumbai Indians in the final match of the group stage on Tuesday (March 21).

The Smriti Mandhana-led team have nothing to play for in terms of progression in the tournament, but they have all to play for when it comes to pride, and perhaps as party poopers.

WPL 2023: Mumbai Indians in a spot of bother

Their opponents Mumbai Indians have slipped from their top spot in the last match, after their hapless performance against Delhi Capitals. Mumbai, who won their first five matches, have lost the last two and are now facing a mini blip. They were blown away by the Capitals in the last match as the latters chased a moderate total of 110 down in just 9 overs, which not only ensured DC equalling their points tally with Mumbai, but also leapfrogged the Delhi side over Harmanpreet Kaur's team courtesy of a superior net run rate.

RCB can dampen the party for Mumbai Indians

In the WPL format, the top placed team in the table will directly qualify for the Final, while the 2nd and 3rd placed team will play out an eliminator to join the other finalist.

With Mumbai's recent struggle, this will be an opportunity for RCB to not just end their season on a high, but damage Mumbai's chances to qualify directly for the final. RCB have been excellent in the last two matches. They won their first match against UP Warriorz, and then chased down a target of 189 runs in fantastic manner against Gujarat Giants to secure consecutive victories.

MI and RCB WPL 2023: Contrasting Fortunes

The fortunes of Mumbai and RCB have kind of spiralled in the exact opposite manner in the last couple of games. MI lost their last two games after five consecutive wins, while RCB have won their last two after five consecutive defeats.

With momentum on their side and a relative lack of pressure, RCB will surely fancy themselves to finish with a W and end their season in style. For Mumbai, the situation is concerning. They were sailing in this tournament and looked certain to finish at the summit with games to spare. With the sudden change of scenario, their will be nerves jangling in the team. Can Sophie Devine and co. capitalize and pin them? We will know it soon.