Who Will Win WPL 2024?
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We are less than 10 days away from the start of the second-ever season of the Women’s Premier League (WPL). Despite not being the first franchise women’s cricket tournament in the world, this five-team tournament is arguably the most high-profile competition in the game after just one year.
Some of the best female cricketers are part of the proceedings. Couple them with the best and up-and-coming Indian start, and it becomes the biggest domestic tournament in women’s cricket.
But which team is the favourite to win the tournament outright? While it is only a few teams that have a strong chance of lifting the trophy, a five-team tournament means that any team can realistically win WPL 2024.
Mumbai Indians’ Triumph in WPL 2023: A Dominant Display of Skill and Bowling Prowess
Let’s start with the defending champions, the Mumbai Indians. MI finished second in the league table in 2023 and defeated UP Warriorz in the eliminator. They then defeated the Delhi Capitals in the final to lift the trophy.
Mumbai Indians were one of the most high-profile franchises even before the start of the tournament. That is because of the excellent record of the team’s male counterparts in the IPL. Captained by the Indian team skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, MI arguably has the best squad assembled in women’s cricket.
Hayley Matthews was the best player of the tournament in 2023, being the highest wicket-taker and the fifth-highest run-scorer. ICC Women’s Player of the Year Nat Sciver-Brunt was the second-highest runs scorer of the tournament and Harmanpreet Kaur was in the top five as well. But it was the team’s bowling, which saw Matthews, Amelia Kerr, Issy Wong, and Saika Ishaque being in the top five wicket-takers, that won the team the tournament.
With not many changes made to the side following the auction, MI will be the clear favorites to win the WPL two years in a row.
Delhi Capitals in WPL 2023: A Tale of Domination, Setbacks, and Historic Finals Journeyw
Another team that made minimal buys in the auction are the runner-up from last year, the Delhi Capitals, the second team with ownership in the IPL. While they might have been the best team for much of the tournament, they lost their form in the final few matches and paid with a loss in the final. Despite that, they did finish on top of the table in 2023 and became the first team in WPL history to make it to the final.
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Royal Challengers Bangalore’s Redemption Quest in WPL 2024: Overcoming Past Setbacks with a Star-Studded Lineup
Captained by former Australian skipper Meg Lanning, the Capitals dominated the first half of WPL 2023. Lanning finished the tournament as the highest run scorer, scoring 345 runs in 9 matches. Other notable performers were Shikha Pandey and Marizanne Kapp, who took 10 and 9 wickets in the tournament respectively, and explosive Indian batter Shajfali Verma. The team also has Jemimah Rodrigues, one of the best young cricketers in India.
The third and final team among the big favourites to win WPL 2024 is another IPL franchise, the Royal Challengers Bangalore. RCB are in the habit of having the best Indian player as their captain. While Virat Kohli was the captain of the men’s team for the longest time, the women’s team is captained by two-time ICC Player of the Year Smriti Mandhana.
The team had a horrid tournament last season, winning only two out of their eight matches and finishing fourth in a five-team tournament, missing out on the playoffs.
They were the favorites to win it before last season as well. This is because of the awesome squad they have assembled and the superstars playing there. Big names like Sophie Devine and Richa Ghosh pair up with yet another two-time ICC Women’s Player of the Year Ellyse Perry. They were also very busy in the auction adding several role players to the squad.
Reinforcing Royal Challengers Bangalore’s Bowling Arsenal for WPL 2024: Strategic Additions and Redemption Ambitions
The standout performers for the team last season were Sophie Devine and Ellyse Perry, who finished 6th and 8th in the list of highest run scorers list. While their bowling attack was not the best last season, they have made several additions to that department this year, buying Ekta Bisht, Georgia Wareham, and Kate Cross to the side.
With the big three out of the way, let us discuss UP Warriorz chances of winning the tournament. Despite not being the most high-profile team with the best squad on paper last season, they finished third in the table and played the eliminator match against Mumbai Indians.
While they have made some big buys in the auction, the team captained by Aussie skipper Alyssa Healy are not one of the favourites to win it all. That does not mean that they are out of contention, in fact, a dream run for the Warriorz is not out of the question at all.
Gujarat Giants’ Resurgence Mission in WPL 2024: Rebuilding from the Bottom Up and Strategic Auction Triumphs
And finally, the Gujarat Giants. The team finished last in the competition last season and did not look like they were in the running for the playoffs at all. The team was captained by Beth Mooney and Sneh Rana at different points in the tournament but success did not come.
The Giants were the busiest team in the auction this year, building the team from the ground up. Not only did they buy the most players (10), but they also bought the joint-costliest player of the auction when they paid Rs. 2 Crore for Indian all-rounder Kashvee Gautam.
