"You will get to see a rivalry now" - Reema Malhotra on Harmanpreet Kaur returning for Mumbai Indians after missing their WPL 2024 loss vs UP Warriorz

Reema Malhotra expects to see an intense rivalry in the Mumbai Indians' (MI) WPL 2024 clash against the UP Warriorz (UPW) in Delhi on Thursday, March 7.

UPW beat MI by seven wickets in their previous league-phase clash in Bengaluru. However, Harmanpreet Kaur missed that game due to a niggle, and her return could spice up Thursday's match as she has had a few heated exchanges with Alyssa Healy in the past.

While previewing the game on Sports 18, Malhotra opined that Harmanpreet's return could make it a riveting contest.

"The match will be interesting because when both teams played last time, UP won, but Harman wasn't there in the opposition. So you will get to see a rivalry now. So tomorrow's (Thursday's) match will be worth watching," she said.

The former India player noted that the Mumbai Indians will be eager to stage a comeback after a loss against the Delhi Capitals in their last game.

"Mumbai is a team that knows how to make a comeback. You don't become the champions just like that. Harman has the captaincy skill where she takes the team along. When you do that, you know how to recover after a bad match," Malhotra stated.

Malhotra added that the Mumbai Indians skipper and coaching staff would have told their players to improve their shot selection.

"They would be disappointed with the way their batters lost their wickets in the last match and I am sure Jhulan Goswami, Charlotte Edwards and Harmanpreet Kaur would have spoken in the team meeting that there was nothing in the wicket. If there was anything, it was in their shots," she observed.

MI suffered a 29-run loss in their last game against the Capitals. Their top order failed to fire as they were reduced to 68/5 in pursuit of a 193-run target before Amanjot Kaur and Sajeevan Sajana's fighting knocks reduced the margin of defeat.

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"Both teams are wounded lions and will be ready to roar" - Sushma Verma on Mumbai Indians and UP Warriorz having lost their respective previous games

UPW lost to RCB by 23 runs in their last game. [P/C: wplt20.com]

While observing that both teams would be ready to pounce after reversals in their last games, Sushma Verma opined that the Mumbai Indians might have a slight edge.

"Both teams are wounded lions and will be ready to roar. When you lose, you come to know your mistakes and you probably have better planning the next day. MI have the advantage that they know the conditions. The status of being champions last year also gives you confidence," she reasoned.

Although MI lost to DC in their last game, they would have gotten acclimatized to the conditions in Delhi. UPW, on the other hand, will be playing their first game at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, having played all their previous five matches in Bengaluru.