“Our middle order didn’t quite click this season,” opined the fairly new UP Warriorz captain Deepti Sharma, after her side finished at the bottom of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2025 table.
Warriorz had a turbulent season, struggling with their middle-order stability, utilising nine players in the five positions (4-8) across eight matches. Their middle order had the second-lowest boundary percentage (14.97) and lowest strike rate (116.12) among the five teams in WPL 2025.
As it watches the WPL playoffs from the sidelines, the team could gain some valuable lessons from the top three qualifiers.
UPW can start from the side that tops the middle-order batting metrics – Gujarat Giants, which plays the Eliminator against Mumbai Indians on Thursday.
A resurgent Gujarat side has its middle-order to thank for playing a pivotal role in the team’s first-ever playoffs qualification, accounting for 58 per cent (692 runs) of the team’s total runs this season.
With a strike rate of 145.99, the Gujarat middle-order’s boundary percentage of 21.72 was the highest among all teams, highlighting its aggressive intent. Its dominance against spin (418 runs) also proved to be a key factor in the team’s success.
Ashleigh Gardner (235 runs), Deandra Dottin (142 runs), and Bharti Fulmali (103 runs) were key contributors. But the Gardner-led side struggled with its false-shot percentage (21.6) – second highest in the tournament – indicating that the batters swung wildly and failed to middle the ball more often than not.
On the other hand, Delhi Capitals, which qualified for its third consecutive final, aced this aspect as it minimised errors and ensured stability while maintaining the lowest false-shot percentage (13.6).
Despite the middle-order not amassing too many runs across the six matches, its ability to rotate strike effectively (154 runs through ones and twos) and make calculated risks against pacers (135.64 strike rate) made it an efficient unit.
With its opening line-up doing most of the heavy-lifting, DC’s middle-order was given the freedom to pace its innings. However, DC will hope the lack of opportunities for its middle-order won’t come to haunt it in the final, as was the case in the previous two summit clashes.
Dependence on individuals
Former champions Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru displayed an over-reliance on individual performances.
Mumbai Indians’ middle-order saw Harmanpreet Kaur (200 runs at a strike rate of 143.88) doing the bulk of the lifting, with Amanjot Kaur stepping up as well (114 runs in six innings).
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Similarly, defending champion RCB, which finished fourth, heavily depended on Richa Ghosh, who amassed 230 runs at a blistering strike rate of 175, with her best performances coming at No. 5.
Both teams boasted the best strike rates against pace, with MI striking at 148.68 and RCB at 142.57, with comparatively lower strike rates against spin (117 and 129, respectively).
Warriorz, however, struggled the most against spin (100.42 strike rate), with the tweakers effecting 20 dismissals.
But there were bright sparks, such as Chinelle Henry’s 23-ball 62 against Delhi Capitals, where she single-handedly made up 60 per cent of the middle-order’s runs in that match.
A few more knocks like Henry’s could have propelled UPW back to the playoffs, which it last reached in 2023. For now, the Deepti-led side can only hope its middle-order comes good in 2026, which translates into a stronger campaign.