WPL 2023: All You Need to Know

The inaugural season of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) is set to begin on March 04, bringing a new era to Indian domestic cricket. This marks a significant development for women’s cricket in India, as the league will provide much-needed exposure and the potential for sponsorships. This has been a long-standing demand from women cricketers in the country, who have been inspired by the success of the Women’s Big Bash League in Australia.

The WPL promises to be an exciting opportunity for women cricketers to showcase their skills and compete at the highest level. Before the matches begin, it is important to understand the basics of the league. Fans can expect to see six teams competing in a round-robin format, with the top four teams advancing to the semi-finals. The tournament will take place across three venues, with matches being played in Lucknow, Baroda, and Surat.

How many teams are there in the Women’s Premier League?

The inaugural edition of the tournament has attracted a diverse range of owners, with five franchises being purchased and based in different cities across India. These franchises are the Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Giants, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and UP Warriorz. Each franchise represents a unique combination of talent and strategy, with a focus on showcasing the best of Indian domestic cricket. As the tournament progresses, fans can expect to see these franchises compete fiercely for the ultimate prize.

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What are the venues for WPL 2023?

It must occur to people that if there are five franchises, then they must play home and away games like IPL. Sadly though, this is not the case for the first season and the league governing body has decided to host all the matches in Mumbai itself. The two grounds chosen for the matches are Dr Dy Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai and Cricket Club of India’s Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai.

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What is the format of the Women’s Premier League 2023?

Despite not playing on a home-and-away basis and all matches being played at just two venues in one city, the teams in the Women’s Premier League will not be playing against each other twice. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to adopt a round-robin format for the first edition of the WPL.

Under this format, each team will play against the other once, resulting in a total of 20 league matches being played. The top three teams will then be decided based on their performance in the league matches. The team ranked number one will automatically qualify for the final, while the teams ranked number two and three will compete in a playoff. The winner of the playoff will join the number one-ranked team in the final, which will be held on March 26 at the Brabourne Stadium.

Who are the captains of all five teams?

The Women’s Premier League has attracted a star-studded lineup of captains, with each team being led by well-known faces in the cricketing world. The Delhi Capitals will be captained by Meg Lanning, the record five-time World Cup-winning skipper from Australia. Another Australian, Beth Mooney, will lead the Gujarat Giants. The Mumbai Indians will be led by Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, while the Royal Challengers Bangalore unit will be captained by Indian player Smriti Mandhana. The UP Warriorz, on the other hand, will be led by Australian wicketkeeper-batter Alyssa Healy.

These captains bring a wealth of experience and skill to their respective teams, and are expected to play a pivotal role in leading their teams to success. As the league progresses, fans can look forward to seeing these talented players showcase their leadership abilities and guide their teams towards victory. With such a talented lineup of captains, the Women’s Premier League promises to be an exciting and highly competitive tournament.

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How many foreign players are allowed in the playing 11?

The rule is the same as IPL with four foreigners allowed in the playing 11 of each team. However, there is a slight tweak as the WPL has allowed teams to field five foreigners with the fifth being a member of the Associate Nation. Only the Delhi franchise has signed up Tara Norris of the USA, which is an Associate Nation.

Mumbai Indians Squad for WPL 2023

Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Amanjot Kaur, Hayley Matthews, Heather Graham, Issy Wong, Chloe Tryon, Priyanka Bala, Dhara Gujjar, Saika Ishaque, Humairaa Kaazi, Sonam Yadav, Jintimani Kalita, Neelam Bisht, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Pooja Vastrakar, Yastika Bhatia, Amelia Kerr

Royal Challengers Bangalore Squad for WPL 2023

Smriti Mandhana (c), Sophie Devine, Heather Knight, Megan Schutt, Kanika Ahuja, Erin Burns, Dane van Niekerk, Preeti Bose, Komal Zanzad, Disha Kasat, Indrani Roy, Shreyanka Patil, Asha Shobana, Poonam Khemnar, Sahana Pawar, Richa Ghosh, Ellyse Perry, Renuka Singh

Delhi Capitals Squad for WPL 2023

Meg Lanning, Alice Capsey, Shikha Pandey, Jess Jonassen, Laura Harris, Radha Yadav, Minnu Mani, Taniya Bhatia, Poonam Yadav, Sneha Deepthi, Arundhati Reddy, Titas Sadhu, Jasia Akhter, Tara Norris, Aparna Mondal, Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Marizanne Kapp

Gujarat Giants Squad for WPL 2023

Ash Gardner, Sneh Rana, Beth Mooney, Georgia Wareham, Annabel Sutherland, Sophia Dunkley, Deandra Dottin, Hurley Gala, Sushma Verma, Tanuja Kanwar, Harleen Deol, Ashwani Kumari, S Meghana, Mansi Joshi, D Hemalatha, Monica Patel, Parunika Sisodia, Shabnam Shakil

UP Warriorz

Alyssa Healy (c), Deepti Sharma (vc), Grace Harris, Anjali Sarvani, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Shweta Sehrawat, Kiran Navgire, Lauren Bell, Parshavi Chopra, S Yashasri, Laxmi Yadav, Simran Shaikh, Sophie Ecclestone, Tahlia McGrath, Devika Vaidya, Shabnim Ismail