Why is Saika Ishaque Not Playing Today Match in MI vs DC WPL 2026?

The third match of the ongoing Women's Premier League 2026 is being played between the defending champions, Mumbai Indians, and the three-time finalists, Delhi Capitals. The MI vs DC WPL 2026 contest is taking place at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai.

MI are coming off a heartbreaking loss in the season's opener against the champions from 2024 WPL Royal Challengers Bengaluru Women on January 9, where they were beaten in the last ball of the match, thanks to Nadine de Klerk. A lot of fans expected multiple changes in MI's playing 11, however, skipper Harmanpreet Kaur announced that there's only one change in the team as Saika Ishaque has been dropped.

Why is Saika Ishaque Not Playing Today match in MI vs DC WPL 2026?

Saika Ishaque played MI's first match against one of the most dangerous teams in WPL, RCB, on January 9; however, the left-arm spinner got to bowl only one over, in which she conceded 13 runs. Saika Ishaque replacement in the match is Triveni Vasistha, who is also a left-arm spinner.

So, Triveni is a like-for-like replacement of Saika; however, it would be interesting to see how many overs Triveni gets to bowl today. Harmanpreet herself admitted that the surface looks heavily favourable to the batter, so a high-scoring contest is expected.

Mumbai Indians Another Scouted Player Ready To Shine

Mumbai Indians are known to produce young talents, whether it's IPL or WPL, and their find of this season could be Triveni Vashistha, who plays domestic cricket for Haryana women. The left-arm orthodox spinner is making her debut today.

Triveni was picked by MI in the Women's Premier League 2026 auction for INR 20 lakh. She mentioned that she was in the U23 team for a tournament and on a video call with her parents during the auction.

“I was very nervous and excited at that time. The tournament was going on for the U23 team, and I was on a video call with my parents. They kept telling me, Okay, calm down. Everything will happen all right," Triveni told RevSportz.

It would be interesting to see how Triveni will utilise this golden opportunity to play for MI, which can even mark her way to India's national squad in the future.