‘RCB came into this game knowing they had nothing to lose’- Mithali Raj on RCB-W’s win over MI-W in last league match

As the WPL 2025 league stage draws to a close, the playoffs will begin on Thursday, March 13. In the final game prior to the playoffs, the Mumbai Indians Women (MI-W) and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru Women (RCB-W) played a high-scoring match, with the Women in Red spoiling the celebration for the Harmanpreet Kaur-led team.

RCB-W, who had lost to MI-W at home in their first meeting, also used this as an opportunity to get retribution. RCB-W dominated the first champions, who lost by 11 runs and were unable to advance straight to the finals, according to numerous experts who offered their opinions on the match. Among the experts who expressed her opinion was former India great Mithali Raj, who commended the team for finally carrying out their objectives and said they had nothing to lose in the previous two games because they had already been eliminated from the competition.

“RCB, in my opinion, entered this match with no intention of losing.

They had just lost, but their last game, in which they almost chased down 225, demonstrated how wonderfully their batting had clicked. Their impressive total of 199 was posted today. Raj stated on JioHotstar, “It was wonderful to see Smriti Mandhana return to the running, along with outstanding performances from Richa Ghosh and Georgia Wareham.”

With almost 70 runs in the final five overs, they ended their innings on a high note. It was that last flourish that changed everything. The competitive total on this wicket is 199. Disciplined bowling with tight lines can make it hard for the opposition, even when it is chaseable. The outcome was a direct result of RCB’s excellent execution of their plans today,” the former India captain continued.

This contest is going to be quite fascinating: Mithali Raj

The Mumbai Indians Women and Gujarat Giants Women’s impending elimination match was another topic Mithali Raj discussed. Both teams will have to win this game, which will also determine the tournament’s second finalist. Raj clarified what the surface may contribute to the game and how crucial the toss will be in this match. She is also eager to observe the tactics employed by both skippers.

“It will be an extremely fascinating match. From the Mumbai Indians’ point of view, they won the toss both times by effectively defending a total and failing to chase the other occasion. What they decide if they win the toss this time will be interesting to see. When Ashleigh Gardner has won the toss, however, she has consistently chosen to chase. On the other hand, the Gujarat Giants have also won while playing defense. The former World Cup 2017 finalist stated, “It will be interesting to watch how both captains approach their plan on this pitch, especially with a high-pressure eliminator at stake.