WPL 2026 Qualification Scenarios: How can MI qualify for Eliminator?

With a solitary league fixture remaining in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026, as many as three teams are in contention to qualify for the Eliminator alongside Gujarat Giants, who secured their berth with a win over Mumbai Indians on January 30.

Delhi Capitals

Points: 6, NRR: -0.164, remaining match: vs UPW on February 1

Delhi Capitals’ qualification path is the simplest of all: beat UP Warriors and advance to the next stage; lose and pack your bags.

UP Warriorz

Points: 4, NRR: -1,146, remaining match: vs DC on February 1

UP Warriorz’s situation is the most precarious, and they remain in the hunt only mathematically. They not only need to defeat DC in their remaining fixture but also need to do it by a margin of over 155 runs to surpass MI’s net run rate.

There has only ever been one team in WPL history that has won by a 100-plus run margin: MI beat GG by 143 runs in the 2023 WPL season opener. Not just WPL, a 150-plus run-margin of victory remains uncharted territory in all women’s T20 franchise cricket, with Adelaide Strikers’ 148-run victory over Melbourne Stars in WBBL 2023-24 being the biggest-ever victory in terms of margin of runs.

UPW will also pray to win the toss, as their qualification chances are nearly non-existent if they chase.

Mumbai Indians

Points: 6, NRR 0.059

MI had fate in their hands until the recent loss to GG in their last league fixture. Although that loss means they will have to rely on the result of the DC-UPW encounter. MI’s biggest asset remains their positive NRR. They will pray that UPW beats DC, but the extent of victory must not be such that the former betters MI’s NRR. If UPW defeat DC, all three teams currently in contention will be tied on six points, but MI’s superior NRR will take them through.