Women’s Premier League, a women’s franchise Twenty20 cricket league organised and supervised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), returns with its second edition, promising even more excitement and entertainment.
Following the successful inaugural season, the upcoming second season vows to match the exhilaration of its predecessor. With the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup on the horizon, every player from each team will strive to give their best performance in the upcoming tournament.
The first season witnessed Harmanpreet Kaur‘s Mumbai Indians clinching the WPL trophy after a resounding victory over the Delhi Capitals in the final match, winning by a margin of 7 wickets. While DC finished atop the table in 2023, MI demonstrated its ability to thrive under pressure during crucial encounters.
As the Women’s version of the Indian Premier League, the WPL features players selected through an auction process. In its second year, the auction was a modest affair, with only 30 players out of 165 finding new homes in December.
Twenty-one Indian players were acquired by different franchises, while 9 overseas players, including 5 Australians, 2 English, and one each from South Africa and Scotland were signed up by various teams in the auction.
Dates
The 24-day long tournament is set to kickstart on Friday, 23rd February, featuring the Defending Champions MI against last season’s Runners-up, DC, in the opening match of the second season. As the league games conclude, intense knockout matches will take centre stage. On 15th March, the Eliminator will be contested, while on 17th March, the Grand Finale of the second season will captivate cricket enthusiasts worldwide.
Venues
In contrast to the 2023 season, where all matches were exclusively held at Mumbai’s Brabourne and Navi Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium, this season will witness games unfolding across two distinct venues situated in two prominent Tier I cities: Bengaluru and Delhi.
Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium, boasting a capacity of approximately 40,000 spectators, will serve as the vibrant backdrop for 11 matches, including the opening match of the tournament.
Meanwhile, Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium, with a seating capacity of 55,000, will play host to the remaining 11 matches, culminating with the Eliminator and the Final match of the WPL 2024.
Teams
In 2024, there will be 2 Indian and 3 Australian players serving as captains of WPL teams
Similar to the previous season, the WPL 2024 will feature the same five teams vying for victory. Continuing their leadership roles, Defending Champions MI will be under the guidance of Harmanpreet, while Delhi Capitals will be spearheaded by Former Australian Captain Meg Lanning.
Alyssa Healy, the current Australian captain, will take charge of UP Warriorz, who secured the third position on the points table in the previous season. Smriti Mandhana and Beth Mooney will continue to captain Royal Challengers Bangalore and Gujarat Giants, respectively, aiming to improve on their fourth and fifth-place finishes from the inaugural season.
Notably, Beth Mooney, the captain of GG last year, only featured in the opening match of the first season due to an ankle injury sustained while batting, leading to her absence throughout the tournament.
While the team captains remain unchanged, there have been alterations in the coaching staff of a couple of teams. Following an unsuccessful campaign last season, GG replaced Rachael Haynes with former Australian cricketer Michael Klinger as their Head Coach. Similarly, RCB’s head coach Ben Sawyer has been replaced by Luke Williams for the upcoming season.
Format Explainer
WPL 2024 will feature 22 matches played in a 20-over format. Each team will play against their opponents twice in a double round-robin format, accumulating points based on wins. Two points will be awarded to the victorious teams in each match.
Following the double round-robin league, the two teams at the bottom of the table will be eliminated from the tournament, while the top three teams will advance to the knockout stage.
The knockout stage comprises two crucial matches: the Eliminator and the Final, determining the ultimate winner of the tournament. The team finishing at the top of the table with the most points secures a direct spot in the Finals.
The teams finishing second and third will face off in the Eliminator to determine the second finalist. The winner of the Eliminator earns a spot in the Final where they will challenge the table-toppers.
The champions of the tournament will be awarded the prestigious WPL Trophy along with a cash prize of INR 6 crores, while the runners-up will receive INR 3 crores. Additionally, individual performances will be recognized with the Orange Cap and the Purple Cap, each accompanied by a trophy and a cash prize of INR 2.5 lakhs.
Star Attractions
Among the WPL 2024 auction’s highlights, uncapped players Kashvee Gautam and Vrinda Dinesh secured staggering prices of INR 2 crore (Gujarat Giants) and INR 1.3 crore (UP Warriorz) respectively. However, Gautam, the most expensive uncapped player, will miss this year’s WPL due to injury and has been replaced by Sayali Sathgare.
Injuries also dampened the spirits of Royal Challengers Bangalore as their all-rounder, Kanika Ahuja, was sidelined due to an injury, leading to Shraddha Pokharkar being roped in by the franchise as Ahuja’s replacement.
In addition to injuries, notable overseas players like UP Warriorz’s Lauren Bell and RCB’s batting all-rounder and England’s captain Heather Knight opted out of the tournament to honor their national duties. However, their voids were filled by Chamari Athapaththu and Nadine de Klerk, respectively.
GG skipper Mooney continues to shine brightly in 2024, exhibiting exceptional form. Mooney has showcased her prowess in 6 T20Is this year, emerging as the leading run-scorer among women cricketers, amassing 256 runs with an impressive average of 64.
Harmanpreet scored 281 runs in last year’s WPL
RCB’s Mandhana and MI’s Harmanpreet are poised to captivate audiences this season. Harmanpreet, the leading Indian run-scorer and 4th overall in the previous year’s tournament, promises another stellar performance. In contrast, Mandhana faced challenges in the last tournament, managing only 149 runs in 8 matches, with a modest average of 18.62.
MI’s versatile all-rounder, Hayley Matthews, who clinched the Player of the Tournament award, and DC’s Meg Lanning, who secured the Orange Cap last year, are determined to make significant contributions once again. Matthews showcased her skills by amassing 271 runs and claiming 16 wickets, while Lanning delivered a remarkable performance, smashing 345 runs with an impressive average of 49.28.