Ranking the favorites for the title ahead of the WPL 2023 season
The inaugural edition of the Women's Premier League (WPL 2023) is all set to kick off on Saturday, March 4, with a high-profile clash between the Gujarat Giants and the Mumbai Indians.
The Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Delhi Capitals will headline a double-header on Sunday. The UP Warriorz will also get their first taste of WPL action on the same day, going against the Giants.
It remains to be seen how the five teams, which are rather evenly matched, stack up during the upcoming campaign. Based off their roster construction at the WPL 2023 auction, though, a few conclusions can be drawn.
Here, we attempt to rank the favorites for the title ahead of the WPL 2023 season.
#5 Gujarat Giants
The Gujarat Giants (GG) recently sprung a surprise by naming the unassuming Beth Mooney as their captain for the WPL 2023 auction. Even ahead of the rather dubious decision, though, their chances didn't look particularly rosy.
The Giants constructed a rather strange roster at the auction, spending heavily on overseas players while focusing on domestic players from Railways Women. This resulted in them having barely any proven international performers for Team India, with both their batting and bowling units looking thin.
The Giants are still in with a chance of going all the way, largely due to quality players like Ashleigh Gardner and Sneh Rana being in their midst. However, they definitely look the weakest on paper.
#4 Mumbai Indians
The Mumbai Indians (MI) aren't necessarily a thin-looking team. They have four quality international all-rounders in Nat Sciver-Brunt, Hayley Matthews, Amelia Kerr and Chloe Tryon. The Indian duo of Harmanpreet Kaur and Pooja Vastrakar are present within the squad as well.
However, on the whole, MI might not have a side capable of making the summit clash.
Part of that was down to their heavy spending on Yastika Bhatia, which left them without the funds to shore up the bowling department. As a result, they might not have much penetration despite the plethora of all-round options at their disposal.
Having said that, though, MI have most bases covered in the top seven of their playing XI. If the stars align, their dominance over Indian franchise leagues could extend to the women's game as well.
#3 Royal Challengers Bangalore
The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) made their intentions clear right at the start of the WPL 2023 auction, making Smriti Mandhana the most expensive player. They followed it up with the high-profile signings of Richa Ghosh, Ellyse Perry and Dane van Niekerk.
Overall, RCB have a capable squad. They have two reliable fast bowlers in Megan Schutt and Renuka Singh in addition to their batting strength. While the rest of the domestic section of their bowling attack might be a touch inexperienced, their scouts did their job ahead of the auction.
Not much needs to be said about their batting firepower. Bangalore can easily compete for the WPL 2023 title if they get their tactics right, but so can the upcoming two teams.
#2 UP Warriorz
Barring their decision to hand Alyssa Healy the reins instead of Deepti Sharma, the UP Warriorz (UPW) have had an excellent start to life in the WPL.
The Warriorz have a power-packed batting unit consisting of Tahlia McGrath, Kiran Navgire and Grace Harris, apart from uncapped superstar Shweta Sehrawat. They also have an excellent spin trio of Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Sophie Ecclestone and Deepti to go with their pace duo of Shabnim Ismail and Anjali Sarvani.
UPW also covered the wrist-spin aspect by signing Devika Vaidya, giving their playing XI a well-rounded look. If Healy overcomes her recent rut to plunder runs at the top and lead astutely, the Warriorz could easily clinch silverware.
#1 Delhi Capitals
The Delhi Capitals (DC) are the only side yet to announce their captain for the upcoming season. Logic dictates that serial World Cup-winning skipper Meg Lanning will be handed the responsibility, but reports from certain quarters have suggested otherwise.
Nevertheless, the Capitals have arguably the best roster of all five franchises. Their Indian contingent is incredibly strong, with Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Radha Yadav and Shikha Pandey in the mix. Their overseas players are quality as well, with Alice Capsey, Laura Harris, Marizanne Kapp and Lanning.
DC also have the freedom to play an additional overseas player since they have an Associate cricketer in Tara Norris. Perhaps the only finger that can be pointed at their playing XI is the absence of a quality wrist-spinner, but Poonam Yadav might be able to do the job if called upon.