On February 23, 2024, the second chapter of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) commenced.
As women wear their helmets, spin the ball and tap their bats on the crease, the T20 women’s cricket tournament, scheduled by The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will be held in Bengaluru and Delhi.
The esteemed tournament is a mark of freedom, reform and equality in the social sphere as women cricketers across the globe compete for the coveted trophy.
Opening Match: MI vanquishes DC
The Mumbai Indians, who are the defending champions, are set to begin the tournament by facing last year’s finalists, the Delhi Capitals, in Bengaluru.
The two strong teams locked horns in a tense match as MI, strongly defending themselves won the match. This year’s instalment will feature a total of five teams: Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Giants, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and UP Warriorz.
WPL 2024: Schedule and Matches
The M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru will host all matches until March 4 2024, and subsequently, the remaining fixtures will take place at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. The matches are scheduled everyday at 7:30pm
The tournament consists of a total of 22 matches, encompassing the eliminator and the final. The team leading the points table will secure a direct spot in the finals. The opposition for the finals will be determined through the eliminator match, contested between the teams finishing in second and third place on the table.
WPL: Teams And Squads
Delhi Capitals:
Alice Capsey, Arundhati Reddy, Jemimah Rodrigues, Jess Jonassen, Laura Harris, Marizanne Kapp, Meg Lanning, Minnu Mani, Poonam Yadav, Radha Yadav, Shafali Verma, Shikha Pandey, Sneha Deepthi, Taniya Bhatia, Titas Sadhu, Annabel Sutherland, Aparna Mondal, Ashwani Kumari
Gujarat Giants:
Ashleigh Gardner, Beth Mooney, Dayalan Hemalatha, Harleen Deol, Laura Wolvaardt, Shabnam Shakil, Sneh Rana, Tanuja Kanwar, Phoebe Litchfield, Meghna Singh, Trisha Poojitha, Kashvee Gautam, Priya Mishra, Lauren Cheatle, Kathryn Bryce, Mannat Kashyap, Veda Krishnamurthy, Tarannum Pathan
Mumbai Indians:
Amanjot Kaur, Amelia Kerr, Chloe Tryon, Harmanpreet Kaur, Hayley Matthews, Humaira Kazi, Issy Wong, Jintimani Kalita, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Pooja Vastrakar, Priyanka Bala, Saika Ishaque, Yastika Bhatia, Shabnim Ismail, S Sajana, Amandeep Kaur, Fatima Jaffer, Keerthana Balakrishnan
Royal Challengers Bangalore:
Asha Shobana, Disha Kasat, Ellyse Perry, Heather Knight (withdrawn), Indrani Roy, Kanika Ahuja, Renuka Singh, Richa Ghosh, Shreyanka Patil, Smriti Mandhana, Sophie Devine, Georgia Wareham, Kate Cross, Ekta Bisht, Shubha Satheesh, S Meghana, Simran Bahadur, Sophie Molineux
UP Warriorz:
Alyssa Healy, Anjali Sarvani, Deepti Sharma, Grace Harris, Kiran Navgire, Lauren Bell (withdrawn, replaced by Chamari Athapaththu), Laxmi Yadav, Parshavi Chopra, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Soppadhandi Yashasri, Shweta Sehrawat, Sophie Ecclestone, Tahlia McGrath, Danni Wyatt, Vrinda Dinesh, Poonam Khemnar, Saima Thakor, Gouher Sultana
MI: Marching Invincibly
Yesterday, 25th February 2024, in the WPL 2023 clash between Gujarat Giants and Mumbai Indians, yesterday at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, Harmanpreet’s resilient innings of 46 guided Mumbai to a five-wicket triumph.
Mumbai Indians chose to bowl first after winning the toss, and their decision proved fruitful as Shabnim Ismail and Amelia Kerr combined to limit Gujarat Giants to 126/9.
Harmanpreet Kaur’s strategic choice to bowl first paid off. Mumbai Indians’ unchanged team contrasted with Gujarat Giants, who premiered four new players who received debut caps.
Today’s Match: UP Vs DC
In the upcoming WPL 2024 match between UP Warriorz and Delhi Capitals, today evening, both teams have had a history of confronting each other twice. Delhi Capitals emerged victorious in both encounters, defeating UP Warriorz by 42 runs in their initial clash and securing a five-wicket win in the next meeting.
DC all-rounder Sutherland expressed her thoughts ahead of the match, acknowledging the competitiveness of the previous games.
She emphasized the team’s determination to bounce back, saying, “It was a really good game of cricket, we did well to fight it out to the last ball but didn’t go our way. We are looking to bounce back against UP Warriorz.”
Sutherland also shared her anticipation for the contest, particularly highlighting the challenge posed by bowlers Marizanne Kapp and Sikha Pandey against UP Warriorz’s top order in conditions where the ball might swing. She hopes for movement in the ball to make it tougher for UP Warriorz’s top-order batters.
