“Their character will be tested” - Venkatesh Prasad picks one area where Mumbai Indians will be challenged heading into WPL 2023 playoffs

Former Indian pacer Venkatesh Prasad reckons that the four-day break between Mumbai Indians’ (MI) last league game in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2023 and the final could pose a challenge to the team’s supremacy. Prasad explained that when a team has momentum, they want to keep playing so that the winning rhythm does not break.

MI have been the standout franchise in the Women’s Premier League 2023. They are the only unbeaten side in the WPL so far, having won their five matches. As per the tournament’s format, the top-placed side after the league stage will directly progress to the final.

Having already qualified for the playoffs, MI seem all set to finish on top of the table and progress directly to the final. According to Prasad, the phase between the end of the league stage and the WPL final will be crucial for Mumbai.

Responding to a Sportskeeda query, Prasad, WPL Expert for Sports18 and JioCinema, explained:

“They have a 4-5 days gap before they play the final. Who knows, that’s where things might go wrong. There’s a break in momentum. I don’t how they are going to keep themselves going. When you are playing and doing well as a team, you will always be itching to play the second game.

“When suddenly after the last league game on 21st, they don’t have any matches till 26th, that’s almost 4-5 days, that’s where their character will be tested. How they make sure they stay together as a team and what are the kind of discussions they will be having. And how they make sure they get a break from a rigorous tournament and yet be ready for the final.”

Mumbai Indians’ next match will be against UP Warriorz at the DY Patil Sports Academy on Saturday, March 18.

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“They were tested against Gujarat Giants” - Prasad on Mumbai Indians campaign so far

Asked if Mumbai’s dominance in WPL 2023 could be a case of a team peaking too early, Prasad pointed out that they were tested in a match against Gujarat Giants (GG), but the latter could not capitalize on the advantage. The 53-year old stated:

“One particular game, they were tested, against Gujarat Giants. Gujarat got down to the middle and lower-order as well and they restricted the Mumbai Indians (MI) to 162. They had a great opportunity win that game against MI, but then they their batting failed.”

“Mumbai Indians have got the momentum with them. Every single team is playing almost every day or every second day. In that sense, Mumbai Indians are able to carry the momentum forward. They have never had any sort of break in momentum.”

MI’s last WPL 2023 match will be against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on March 21. The final will be played at the Brabourne Stadium on March 26.