WPL 2026: Harmanpreet Kuar's MI in pursuit of third title; Smriti Mandhana's RCB and Jemimah Rodrigues's DC also in fray

Navi Mumbai: Still basking in the glory of their maiden ODI World Cup triumph, India's effervescent women cricketers will return to competitive action in the fourth Women's Premier League starting here on Friday, kicking off their build-up to this year's T20 World Cup.

Two-time winners and defending champions Mumbai Indians, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, will face the only other title-winning side in the WPL, Smriti Mandhana's Royal Challengers Bengaluru, in the tournament-opener here at the 'home of Indian women's cricket', the DY Patil Stadium.

The fourth WPL will be held in two stages, in Navi Mumbai and Vadodara, presenting players from around the world to go against the best and augment their preparations for the T20 World Cup, slated for June-July in England.

MI have the best squad on paper at their disposal led by Harmanpreet with captains of England (Nat Sciver-Brunt) and West Indies (Hayley Matthews) in tow.

Having retained the majority of their squad, MI will be the team to beat given their formidable batting, bolstered by New Zealand's Amelia Kerr, promising Australian Milly Illingworth, and India's dependable Amanjot Kaur.

With G Kamalini at the top, MI could also find themselves facing selection headache with the available talent.

Shabnim Ismail will lead the bowling attack which also includes Saika Ishaque, who will face the challenge of getting her act together after a tough couple of seasons following an impressive debut in 2023.

With Meg Lanning moving to UP Warriorz, mercurial Indian batter Jemimah Rodrigues has taken charge of the Delhi Capitals' outfit which carries the burden of tripping at the finish line all three times in the finals.

The Capitals have a dangerous squad and one that can go the distance if things fall in place.

Among Indians, Delhi have the World Cup winners and in-form opener Shafali Verma, Sneh Rana and Shree Charani, while domestic talent base includes Niki Prasad, India player Minnu Mani and right-arm Nandani Sharma, who is the only Indian pacer in the camp.

Delhi's overseas roster is impressive too, with the the ODI World Cup's best batter and South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt looking to continue with her form.

Marizanne Kapp and Alana King will handle the bowling workload but Annabel Sutherland's withdrawal has reduced the firepower to some extent.

A lot will hinge on how Mandhana, in the absence of the legendary Ellyse Perry, pulls the RCB side while garnering runs at the top.

Mandhana's form is never really a concern and she will feel confident given the talent base which the 2024 winners have.

Australia batter Georgia Voll, all-rounder Grace Harris and South Africa's doughty all-rounder Nadine de Klerk will share the batting responsibilities. Behind the wickets and for the finishing job, RCB have the explosive Richa Ghosh in ranks.

India's Arundhati Reddy, Pooja Vastrakar, and England's Lauren Bell are among the premier seamers for RCB who also have quality spin bowlers in England's Linsey Smith, India's Radha Yadav and Shreyanka Patil.

After a couple of ordinary seasons, Gujarat Giants made it to the playoffs last year and they will look to go one better this year.

But for the Ashleigh Gardner-led side, the overseas stars will have to do the heavy-lifting given that they do not have any front-line Indian batter in their ranks.

Renuka Singh Thakur is the biggest Indian star in the camp along with Titas Sadhu and Rajeshwari Gayakwad, with wicketkeeper-batter Yastika Bhatia looking for a strong comeback after an injury layoff.

However, GG have the formidable Gardner at the helm and a few other Australians around her.

Behind the wickets and at the top of the order will be Beth Mooney, while the legendary White Ferns' Sophie Devine is back in the WPL mix after missing it last year.

Australian Kim Garth can share the new ball with Renuka and Kashvee Gautam, with spin bowling options being Georgia Wareham, Gayakwad and Tanuja Kanwar.

Having gone through a complete overhaul, UP Warriorz have landed the right captaincy choice in Lanning but they do not have a specialist wicketkeeper apart from Uttar Pradesh's Shipra Giri.

Phoebe Litchfield at the top gives the Warriorz an option to pair her with India's Pratika Rawal, fitness permitting, or even the dangerous Kiran Navgire.

Harleen Deol and Lanning can form the middle-order but the Warriorz' think-tank, led by head coach Abhishek Nayar, are also required to find a finisher.

In that case, among all-rounders, the Player of the ODI World Cup Deepti Sharma, Chloe Tryon, the dangerous Deandra Dottin, and India's Shikha Pandey may have to double-up.

India's Kranti Gaud and England's Sophie Ecclestone will form the fulcrum of the bowling attack but for the Warriorz, finding solutions to some pertinent questions, will be vital.