Why Shabnim Ismail is Not Playing Today Match in UPW vs MI WPL 2026?

UP Warriorz are up against the Mumbai Indians in the tenth match of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026. The game between the two teams is underway at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai on Saturday, January 17.

UP Warriorz got their first win of the tournament after losing the first three games. They will now aim to keep the momentum and win again. On the other hand, MI would be eyeing a comeback after getting a defeat in their last match against UP Warriorz. A win here will improve their position in the points table, and they would be keen to bring their best and register their third win.

Why Shabnim Ismail is Not Playing Today Match in UPW vs MI WPL 2026?

Coming into the UPW vs MI WPL 2026 clash, the richest WPL team, the Mumbai Indians have made two changes, with one of them being a massive one. They have replaced Shabnim Ismail with Hayley Matthews, who was rested in the last game against UPW.

The reason behind Shabnim Ismail is that MI have picked the team based on conditions, and according to one of the most successful captains in WPL, Harmanpreet Kaur, Matthews was best suited for this track. Hence, Ismail has been rested for the UPW vs MI WPL 2026 match.

“Today, looking at the conditions, we’ve brought Matthews back into the side, and Ismail is resting today. It’s mainly because of the conditions and because we’re playing a day match. We feel Matthews is going to play a very big role on this pitch. So we’ve made one change,” said Harmanpreet Kaur at the toss.

Shabnim Ismail has been pretty decent in the WPL 2026 and has done a great job with the new ball for MI. In the four games that she has played, she has taken three wickets at an economy of under 6. Apart from this MI made one more change, benching Poonam Khemnar. In her place, the two-time champions have handed a debut to Nalla Kranthi Reddy. It will be a big game for her as she would be eager to make an impact and seal her place in the side as MI eyes their third win of the season.

UPW Women vs MI Women Playing 11

UP Warriorz: Kiran Navgire, Meg Lanning(c), Phoebe Litchfield, Harleen Deol, Shweta Sehrawat(w), Chloe Tryon, Deepti Sharma, Sophie Ecclestone, Asha Sobhana Joy, Shikha Pandey, Kranti Gaud

Mumbai Indians: Hayley Matthews, Gunalan Kamalini(w), Amelia Kerr, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Harmanpreet Kaur(c), Amanjot Kaur, Nicola Carey, Sajeevan Sajana, Sanskriti Gupta, Nalla Kranthi Reddy, Triveni Vasistha