Picking the most important batter in each WPL 2023 franchise
The Women's Premier League (WPL) kicks off on Friday, March 4, with the Mumbai Indians going head-to-head against the Gujarat Giants at the Dr. DY Patil Stadium.
The tournament will have 22 games that will be played from March 4th to March 26th with five franchise fighting out for the ultimate price. Along with the DY Patil Stadium, Brabourne Stadium will host the tournament.
T20 cricket is regarded as a batter's game and it probably won't be any different for the WPL with plenty of high-quality batters on show. Most of the batters stole the limelight in the WPL auction too, but here, we pick the most important batter for each of the franchises in the upcoming tournament.
#1 Delhi Capitals - Shafali Verma
The Delhi Capitals have acquired a solid base of batters in their side. With Jemimah Rodrigues, Meg Lanning, Alice Capsey, Grace Harris, and Marizanne Kapp in the squad to form a solid middle order, Shafali Verma can adopt a gung-ho approach from ball one.
The opener is at her free-flowing best when the shackles are off. If the 19-year-old can get the team off to flying starts more often than not, the Capitals unit might fancy chasing any sort of total down.
While there are plenty of high-quality batters in the team who could make a contribution, Shafali is perhaps the one threat most teams in the WPL will be worried about at the top of the order.
#2 Gujarat Giants - Beth Mooney
Few batters in world cricket are as consistent as Beth Mooney. The Australian is appointed as the captain for the Gujarat Giants and will have to shoulder the responsibility for them at the top of the order. However, she might have to address a few issues.
In the Australian setup, the left-hander has a specific role to play, anchoring the innings to lay the platform for the rest of the side before expanding her game. In the WPL, though, she might not have the same luxury with the Giants not boasting as much firepower around her.
Sophia Dunkley, Ashleigh Gardner, Sabbhineni Meghana, and Deandra Dottin all add enough firepower but are also mostly top-order batters (apart from Gardner). In this situation, Mooney might have to accelerate a lot quicker to help her side.
#3 Mumbai Indians - Natalie Sciver-Brunt
Mumbai Indians have a power-packed batting unit that also stretches significantly deep compared to the other sides. With Harmanpreet Kaur and Chloe Tryon already present in the middle order, all eyes will be on Nat Sciver-Brunt to hold the innings together for them.
The England all-rounder was the second-highest run-scorer in the recently concluded Women's T20 World Cup. She scored 217 runs in five matches, putting up staggering numbers with an average of 72 at a strike rate of 141.
The ICC Women's Player of the Year for 2022, Nat Sciver-Brunt is one of the most expensive players in the WPL and will be hoping to live up to the price tag.
#4 Royal Challengers Bangalore - Smriti Mandhana
The most expensive player in the WPL and the captain of the Royal Challengers Bangalore, Smriti Mandhana, will be the mainstay of her franchise. The left-handed opening batter will need to shoulder the responsibility at the top of the order for her side.
The team does have experienced leaders in the likes of Dane van Niekerk, Heather Knight, and Sophie Devine in their ranks, so it'll be interesting to see how Mandhana deals with the added pressure of leading the side.
The Indian opener is expected to be one of the highest-run scorers of the tournament if she manages to do that, she would do a notable job of laying the platform for her side at the top of the order.
#5 UP Warriorz - Tahlia McGrath
Alyssa Healy was announced as the captain of UP Warriorz and is one of the marquee players in the squad. The Australian is expected to lead the way from the front in the WPL with her aggressive and attacking intent at the top of the order.
However, Healy is one of those dangerous players who can single-handedly take the game away from any side. Of course, that also means she takes more risks, which creates the possibility of her blanking some low scores as well.
In a situation like this, Tahlia McGrath might have to be the one to take responsibility and lead the batting department for the Warriorz. The Adelaide Strikers captain did the same in her team's WBBL title-winning campaign and will be one of the key components for UP in the WPL.