Lagatar24 Desk
Mumbai: The fourth season of the Women’s Premier League begins today in Navi Mumbai, with a high-voltage opening match between two-time champions Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, setting the stage for an exciting tournament.
Blockbuster Opening Match in Navi Mumbai
The tournament opener will see Mumbai Indians, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru under the captaincy of star batter Smriti Mandhana. Mumbai Indians have been one of the most consistent teams in the league, while RCB remain the only other side to have lifted the WPL trophy so far. The match is scheduled to begin at 7 pm.
Tournament Format and Key Venues
The fourth edition of the Women’s Premier League will be played in two phases across Navi Mumbai and Vadodara. The competition also serves as a crucial preparation platform for players ahead of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, scheduled to be held in England during June-July.
Head-to-Head and Team Strengths
Mumbai Indians and RCB have faced each other seven times in WPL history, with Mumbai winning four matches and RCB claiming three victories, highlighting the close rivalry. Mumbai Indians appear strong on paper with experienced international stars like England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt and West Indies skipper Hayley Matthews alongside Harmanpreet Kaur.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru will rely heavily on the experience of Smriti Mandhana and Ellyse Perry at the top, with support from Georgia Voll, Grace Harris and South African all-rounder Nadine de Klerk to strengthen their batting and all-round options.
Full Squads for the Opening Match
Mumbai Indians: Harmanpreet Kaur (Captain), Hayley Matthews, Amanjot Kaur, Sajeevan Sajana, Sanskriti Gupta, Poonam Khemnar, Amelia Kerr, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Nicola Carey, Nala Reddy, Triveni Vashisht, G Kamalini (Wicketkeeper), Rahila Firdous (Wicketkeeper), Millie Illingworth, Saika Ishaque, Shabnim Ismail.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Smriti Mandhana (Captain), Dayaalan Hemalatha, Georgia Voll, Nadine de Klerk, Grace Harris, Gauthami Naik, Shreyanka Patil, Prema Rawat, Pooja Vastrakar, Sayali Satghare, Richa Ghosh (Wicketkeeper), Kumar Pratyusha (Wicketkeeper), Lauren Bell, Arundhati Reddy, Linsey Smith, Radha Yadav.
