3 vice-captaincy candidates for Mumbai Indians in WPL 2023
The Mumbai Indians (MI) have already started their preparations in full swing for the Women's Premier League (WPL) 2023. They will be ecstatic to have captain Harmanpreet Kaur join the team and will be keen to start strategizing for the inaugural season.
One of the most important factors in a champion team is a strong leadership group, making the role of a vice-captain very crucial. The vice-captain should be able to advise the skipper whenever there's a crunch situation and also sometimes has a say in some of the key selection decisions.
MI have a number of quality options to choose from for naming Harmanpreet Kaur's deputy in WPL 2023. Here are the three front-runners:
#3 Amelia Kerr
Although she may just be 22 years of age, Amelia Kerr is already one of the stars of women's cricket. The all-rounder from New Zealand has played in a number of pressure situations and has certainly learnt a thing or two about leadership from veteran Sophie Devine.
With age also on Kerr's side, if the Mumbai Indians are looking to groom a young leader almost straightaway, they could well appoint her as the vice-captain. With experienced players in the MI think tank as well as the team, Kerr's leadership skills are only going to get nurtured better.
#2 Hayley Matthews
West Indies weren't able to qualify for the semifinals of the Women's T20 World Cup. However, Hayley Matthews showed glimpses of excellent captaincy in crunch moments. She was absolutely brilliant in their win against Pakistan where they defended a mere 116 runs.
Matthews could prove to be a massive support for Harmanpreet as she brings a different line of thinking, opening up possibilities for a number of out-of-the-box moves. That ultra-attacking West Indian flair might also prove to be a huge advantage for the Mumbai Indians.
#1 Nat Sciver-Brunt
Arguably the player that looks set to be named as the vice-captain of the Mumbai Indians is England star Nat Sciver-Brunt. She has been a pillar for England for quite a while now and has been a part of their leadership group alongside captain Heather Knight.
MI's head coach and former England captain Charlotte Edwards desperately wanted Sciver's services and that was visible with their aggressive bidding at the WPL 2023 auction. Edwards must have seen the star all-rounder from close quarters during her early days, and these factors add up nicely to making Sciver the ideal deputy for Harmanpreet Kaur.