'They surprised me with the team selection' - Aakash Chopra slams UP Warriorz after defeat against Delhi Capitals

Delhi Capitals pulled off a dominating five-wicket win against UP Warriorz in the last group-stage game of the Women's Premier League 2023 (WPL) on Tuesday, March 21. They finished at the top on a level with Mumbai Indians while the Warriorz remained in the third position with four wins from eight games.

Warriorz missed on a chance to record three consecutive wins and finish the group-stage campaign on high morale ahead of the Eliminator clash. They secured a playoff qualification with a thrilling win against Gujarat Giants but the management made three changes to their playing XI for the Capitals game. 

Soppadhandi Yashasri, Shweta Sehrawat, and Shabnim Ismail came in place of in-form Grace Harris, Devika Vaidya, and Rajeshwari Gayakwad. But this led to changes in the batting order as Sehrawat opened the innings while Simran Shaikh was sent ahead of the likes of Tahlia McGrath and Kiran Navgire. The management clearly made a tactical error as Simran managed to score just 11 runs despite facing 23 deliveries.

Aakash Chopra slammed the Warriorz's management for making unnecessary changes to their winning combination. He also added that if it was not for McGrath's fifty, the Warriorz would have struggled to reach a fighting total.

"Delhi have reached the No. 1 position. UP Warriorz surprised me a lot. I agree there was no chance for UP to reach the No. 1 position but why so many changes? Momentum is not visible but it is there. You want to actually win the game and then get into the Eliminator but they made three changes in the XI," he said on Jio Cinema's show AakashVani.

"After that, the batting order was not understandable. I didn't understand the way they batted. You reached 138 because of Tahlia McGrath's fifty else you wouldn't have reached there as well. I was disappointed," Chopra added.

Delhi came with a lot of intent: Aakash Chopra

Meanwhile, the Capitals remained unchanged from their admiring win over Mumbai Indians. But they made one change in their batting order with Jemimah Rodrigues playing in the number three position. She scored just three runs but that did not make any difference as Marizanne Kapp and Alice Capsey ensured an easy win for Delhi with 34 runs each. 

Chopra praised Delhi Capitals for making just one change to their batting order and pointed out the intent the team showed while batting. 

"Delhi came with a lot of intent. Shafali Verma hit and Meg Lanning was wonderful. They made just one change - sent Jemimah Rodrigues up the order so that she could score a few runs. She got an inside edge and should have taken a DRS but she didn't. After that, Alice Capsey and along with her Marizanne Kapp. Their pairing is not less than anyone - they hit well. They would have finished at No. 1 if they had won the match in 19.4 overs and they didn't go until there. They won in a canter," he added.