Fourth edition of the Women’s Premier League begins today: Here's an overview

With the echoes of India’s ODI World Cup triumph still ringing, the 4th edition of the Women’s Premier League begins today. ET Sport offers an overview of the new season

DELHI CAPITALS

With continuity as their mantra, Capitals have built a balanced squad as they chase a maiden title after three finals. They have a strong top order led by Shafali, Wolvaardt and Rodrigues, and draw depth from Kapp and Henry.


However, their bowling is too spin heavy as key absences in the pace department are going test their attack.

SQUAD Jemimah Rodrigues (c), Shafali Verma, Marzianne Kapp, Niki Prasad, Laura Wolvaardt, Chinelle Henry, Shree Charani, Sneh Rana, Lizelle Lee, Deeya Yadav, Taniyaa Bhatia, Mamatha Madiwala, Nandni Sharma, Lucy Hamilton, Minnu Mani, Alana King

GUJARAT GIANTS

Giants enter the season buoyed by a third-place finish last season. Overseas stars add depth, while the pace attack looks stronger. The key challenge is finding the right balance, particularly in the bowling unit. With several new faces in the team, settling roles quickly, and achieving cohesion will be key to success.

SQUAD Ashleigh Gardner (c), Beth Mooney, Sophie Devine, Renuka Singh Thakur, Bharti Fulmali, Titas Sadhu, Kashee Gautam, Kanika Ahuja, Tanuja Kanwer, Georgia Wareham, Anushka Sharma, Happy Kumari, Kim Garth, Yastika Bhatia, Shivani Singh, Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Ayushi Soni

MUMBAI INDIANS

Staying true to their continuity-first approach, MI not only retained their title-winning core, they also added depth to their pace attack.

The all-rounders remain central to their strategy, and they will expect better contribution from Kerr with the bat. A key concern is wicketkeeping, with Yastika Bhatia gone and an inexperienced choice looming behind the stumps.

SQUAD Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Nat Sciver-Brunt, Hayley Matthews, Amanjot Kaur, G Kamalini, Amelia Kerr, Shabnim Ismail, Sanskriti Gupta, Sajana Sajeevan, Rahila Firdous, Nicola Carey, Poonam Khemnar, Triveni Vasistha, Nalla Reddy, Saika Ishaque, Milly Illingworth

ROYAL CHALLENGERS BENGALURU

The 2024 champions squad is stacked with as many as nine players who featured in the ODI World Cup. There are several new faces who add to their batting firepower and tactical depth, like de Klerk and Harris. However, concerns remain over their inability to finish games and unsettled opening combinations, making them susceptible to early experimentation. Ellyse Perry’s withdrawal due to personal reasons has also been a big blow.

SQUAD Smriti Mandhana (c), Richa Ghosh, Shreyanka Patil, Georgia Voll, Nadine de Klerk, Radha Yadav, Lauren Bell, Linsey Smith, Prema Rawat, Arundhati Reddy, Pooja Vastrakar, Grace Harris, Gautami Naik, Prathyoosha Kumar, D Hemalatha, Sayali Satghare

UP WARRIORZ

This is perhaps their strongest squad yet, blending a retained core with star overseas recruits and a formidable spin attack. Lanning’s captaincy adds tactical edge. However, with several match-winning overseas options available, team balance and role clarity in the batting order will be critical. Also, the batter-wicketkeeper spot remains a concern, with uncapped Shipra the only specialist option.

SQUAD Shweta Sehrawat, Deepti Sharma, Sophie Ecclestone, Meg Lanning (c), Phoebe Litchfield, Kiran Navgire, Harleen Deol, Kranti Goud, Asha Sobhana, Deandra Dottin, Shikha Pandey, Shipra Giri, Simran Shaikh, Chloe Tryon, Suman Meena, Gongadi Trisha, Pratika Rawal, Charli Knott