Navi Mumbai: Still basking in the glory of their maiden ODI World Cup triumph, India’s effervescent women cricketers will return to competitive action in the fourth Women’s Premier League starting here on Friday, kicking off their build-up to this year’s T20 World Cup.
Two-time winners and defending champions Mumbai Indians, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, will face the only other title-winning side in the WPL, Smriti Mandhana’s Royal Challengers Bengaluru, in the tournament-opener here at the ‘home of Indian women’s cricket’, the DY Patil Stadium.
The fourth WPL will be held in two stages, in Navi Mumbai and Vadodara, presenting players from around the world to go against the best and augment their preparations for the T20 World Cup, slated for June-July in England.
MI have the best squad on paper at their disposal led by Harmanpreet with captains of England (Nat Sciver-Brunt) and West Indies (Hayley Matthews) in tow.
Having retained the majority of their squad, MI will be the team to beat given their formidable batting, bolstered by New Zealand’s Amelia Kerr, promising Australian Milly Illingworth, and India’s dependable Amanjot Kaur.
With G Kamalini at the top, MI could also find themselves facing selection headache with the available talent.
Shabnim Ismail will lead the bowling attack which also includes Saika Ishaque, who will face the challenge of getting her act together after a tough couple of seasons following an impressive debut in 2023.
With Meg Lanning moving to UP Warriorz, mercurial Indian batter Jemimah Rodrigues has taken charge of the Delhi Capitals’ outfit which carries the burden of tripping at the finish line all three times in the finals. The Capitals have a dangerous squad and one that can go the distance if things fall in place.
Among Indians, Delhi have the World Cup winners and in-form opener Shafali Verma, Sneh Rana and Shree Charani, while domestic talent base includes Niki Prasad, India player Minnu Mani and right-arm Nandani Sharma, who is the only Indian pacer in the camp.
Delhi’s overseas roster is impressive too, with the the ODI World Cup’s best batter and South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt looking to continue with her form. Marizanne Kapp and Alana King will handle the bowling workload but Annabel Sutherland’s withdrawal has reduced the firepower to some extent.
A lot will hinge on how Mandhana, in the absence of the legendary Ellyse Perry, pulls the RCB side while garnering runs at the top.