Shabnim Ismail has been excluded from the UPW vs MI clash.
Why is Shabnim Ismail not in Mumbai Indians playing XI today for UPW vs MI WPL 2026 clash? This has been a major question among fans since MI revealed their side for the high-octane clash.
Shabnim Ismail played the initial four games and did reasonably well, but she couldn’t take as many wickets as Mumbai Indians would have wanted. She took three wickets at 31 runs apiece but conceded only 5.81 runs apiece.
However, it’s a day game, and spin will play a massive role, so MI decided to recall Hayley Matthews, who warmed the bench in the previous game. She will bowl with the new ball and a few overs in the middle on a pitch expected to be on the slower side, as it has hosted several games in the tournament.
Additionally, MI have also struggled to get solid starts since the likes of Amelia Kerr and Amanjot Kaur haven’t scored as consistently and quickly as other teams in the powerplay. In Matthews, they will get a solid option who can maximise the field restrictions and provide brisk starts, along with Kamalini.
She not only balances the XI but also gives more flexibility, while Shabnim can come in on fresh decks if there’s some assistance for pacers in the Vadodara leg. So, this is the reason for the question ‘Why is Shabnim Ismail not in Mumbai Indians playing XI today for UPW vs MI WPL 2026 clash?’
Mumbai Indians have also bought in Nalla Kranthi Reddy as a pace bowler in the place of Poonam Khemnar. This is a combination change since MI needed a pacer after dropping Shabnim.
Nalla is also a pacer, while Khemnar is a leg-spinner who would have made the bowling attack one-dimensional. With Matthews in the XI, the MI team doesn’t need too many spinners since they already have Sanskriti Gupta as an off-spinner.
So, Mumbai Indians have made two changes – one due to the conditions, and the other due to the first change. They would hope to overcome the defeat in the previous game and end the Navi Mumbai leg on a high note.
UP Warriorz Women: Kiran Navgire, Meg Lanning(c), Phoebe Litchfield, Harleen Deol, Shweta Sehrawat(w), Chloe Tryon, Deepti Sharma, Sophie Ecclestone, Asha Sobhana Joy, Shikha Pandey, Kranti Gaud
Mumbai Indians Women: Hayley Matthews, Gunalan Kamalini(w), Amelia Kerr, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Harmanpreet Kaur(c), Amanjot Kaur, Nicola Carey, Sajeevan Sajana, Sanskriti Gupta, Nalla Kranthi Reddy, Triveni Vasistha
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