Why Hayley Matthews is Not Playing Today in MI-W vs UPW-W Match?

Defending Champions Mumbai Indians are playing their fourth match of the Women's Premier League 2026 against UP Warriorz in Navi Mumbai on January 15. The Mumbai Indians are in second place in the WPL points table with two wins after playing three matches.

On the other hand, UP Warriorz are at the bottom of the points table without a single win in three matches. Meanwhile, the MI skipper Harmanpreet Kaur revealed that the star all-rounder Hayley Matthews won't be playing today's match against UP Warriorz Women.

Why Hayley Matthews is Not Playing Today?

According to Harmanpreet Kaur, West Indies' star all-rounder and MI opener Hayley Matthews has been rested in the MI-W vs UPW-W WPL 2026 match today. England all-rounder Nat Sciver-Brunt is back in the squad as Hayley Matthews replacement.

Harmanpreet spoke about the changes during the toss and said, “We have one change - Nat (Sciver-Brunt) is back in the side, and Hayley (Matthews) is resting today.”

Hayley Matthews had missed out on the first two matches of the league as well, but replaced Nat Sciver-Brunt in the last match, scoring 22 runs while picking up a wicket as well. The reason why Matthews didn't play the first two matches of the tournament was revealed by skipper Harmanpreet herself, who revealed in the tournament opener that the all-rounder was unwell.

She has previously missed WBBL and WCPL following a shoulder surgery, which required a lot of time to recover. However, by the time WPL 2026 arrived, she recovered fully and ended up being available for the high-profile league. While she didn't play the MI vs UPW WPL match, she is likely to play a key role for her team in the upcoming matches.

Hayley Matthews WPL Stats

Hayley Matthews is arguably one of the best all-rounders in WPL and the second-highest wicket-taker of the tournament as well. In her 30 WPL appearances, Matthews has taken 42 wickets while scoring 780 runs with the bat as well.

Talking about her stats in her international career, Matthews has been one of the best women cricketers in the world. She has played 112 WT20I matches and has scored 2,975 runs at an average of around 30, which also includes three centuries and 19 half-centuries. She has also shone with the ball, taking 113 wickets with four 4-wicket hauls and with the best bowling figures of 4/10.