Can Royal Challengers Bangalore complete an unlikely comeback? WPL 2023 playoff permutations

The Cricketer looks at how the WPL is shaping up with four regular season matches remaining

As the inaugural edition of the Women's Premier League enters its final week, everything is still to play for.

The five-team group stage will conclude on March 21, with the team at the top of the table advancing to Sunday's final at Mumbai's Brabourne Stadium. 

The second and third-placed sides will face off in the Eliminator while those outside the top three will exit empty-handed.

Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals are already assured of a place in playoffs but there is plenty to decide with four regular season matches remaining…

^{Charlotte Edwards' Mumbai Indians are currently in first place}

The race for first place

Mumbai Indians are the front-runners to secure direct entry to the final. Charlotte Edwards' side took to the WPL like a duck to water, winning their opening five matches to lock in a spot in the top three with time to spare. They sit top of the table with 10 points – two clear of Delhi Capitals – and a net run rate of 2.670. 

However, the MI suffered a five-wicket defeat against UP Warriorz in their most recent outing, a result which prevented them from opening up a four-point lead over the second-placed Capitals (who also slipped up last time out, losing to Gujarat Giants by 11 runs).

The Indians are set to face the Capitals on March 20, knowing that victory would secure top spot. However, defeat would leave them requiring a victory over a resurgent RCB to keep their fate in their own hands. 

As for the Capitals, they have to win to avoid the Eliminator, otherwise the four-point gap will be too great to overhaul. Victory would see the two sides level on points heading into their final matches. The Capitals face Warriorz in another must-win match and they ideally need RCB to defeat MI in order to avoid a net run rate headache.

However, their clash with the Warriorz is the final match of the group stage, so they will have the advantage of knowing exactly what they need to do.

This is not, however, a two-horse race, with Warriorz themselves still in with an outside shot at top spot. Sitting in third place with six points (three wins, three defeats), Alyssa Healy's side need to win their remaining two matches – against Gujarat Giants and Capitals, respectively – and hope that MI lose both of their matches. That would leave all three sides on 10 points and bring net run rate into the equation. 

^{UP Warriorz could finish anywhere from first to last [Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images]}

The final playoff spot

Who will join Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals in the final three? 

Well, Warriorz are in pole position – they sit two points clear of RCB and Giants and, crucially, have a game in hand over both. The Warriorz can seal playoff qualification with victory over the Giants on March 20 but do have another shot against the Capitals a little over 24 hours later.

RCB were down and out of the WPL and questioning their auction strategy after losing five matches on the bounce. However, back-to-back wins against Warriorz and Giants, with the latter including a 36-ball 99 from Sophie Devine, mean they can still finish in third position if they defeat the table-topping MI and UP Warriorz lose both of their remaining matches. 

As for the Giants, they have only won once in their past four matches and must defeat the Warriorz on Monday to keep their hopes alive. After that, they need Mumbai Indians to defeat RCB (who currently have a superior net run rate) and Delhi Capitals to defeat the Warriorz. However, both Warriorz defeats would have to be pretty convincing to allow the Giants to overhaul them on net run rate. 

The wooden spoon

Following their recent victories, RCB might have pulled off an unlikely escape to avoid the ignominy of the wooden spoon – though they are level on points with Gujarat Giants, their run rate (-1.044 compared to -2.511) is superior. Finishing fourth instead of fifth wouldn't be something to celebrate, especially when you consider their star-studded squad, but it's better than nothing. 

It's worth pointing out, however, that (mathematically at least) the Warriorz could also finish rock bottom if they suffer heavy defeats in their remaining matches and other results go against them – being able to finish anywhere from first to last with two games remaining is quite the position to be in.