Women’s Premier League (WPL) Review: Stats, Players, and Teams
The inaugural Women’s Premier League (WPL) season started off with a grand opening ceremony and ended with raw emotions and memorable celebrations from the Champions Mumbai Indians.
24 days of pure entertainment and action-packed matches. 24 days of new opportunities. 24 days of celebrating women’s cricket.
These 24 days will go down in history for bringing a revolution to women’s cricket in India.
5 teams fought for the prestigious WPL trophy throughout the league stage, with 3 teams advancing to the playoffs. And it all came down to the Delhi Capitals (DC) — table toppers — squaring off against the Mumbai Indians (MI) in the inaugural WPL final.
Between the contest of bat and ball, MI came out on top in the finals and beat DC by 7 wickets. And they were crowned the champions of the 2023 WPL.
The MI women carried forward the legacy of their male counterparts by adding one more trophy to the franchise’s cabinet.
With that, the inaugural WPL — played across two venues and 22 matches — comes to an end.
Now, this is the time to reflect on those 22 matches and talk about the records, players, and teams.
Let’s play!
Stats of 2023 WPL
Delhi Capitals captain Meg Lanning was the highest run scorer and grabbed the orange cap.
Mumbai Indians all-rounder Hayley Matthews was the top wicket-taker and grabbed the purple cap.
Hayley Matthews, who went unsold before being selected in the accelerated round, demonstrated her all-round ability with both bat and ball. For her exceptional performance, she was judged the most valuable player in the 2023 WPL.
Mumbai Indians players are present in all of the tables and that too in the top 5. Talk about domination and how!
Players who impressed the most
Saika Ishaque
Hands down, the best uncapped Indian player throughout the tournament. In the inaugural season, she played 10 matches for MI.
She managed to pick 15 wickets — including the wickets of international players — at an economy rate of 7.00! On top of that, she is in the top 5 wicket-takers in the WPL.
Shreyanka Patil
The 20-year-old youngster from Karnataka showed her calibre through her all-round performance.
Well, she didn’t get too many runs and wickets on board, but she stood up on the occasions when her team needed it the most. Be it taking wickets or scoring some quick runs, she tried her best.
I am sure she will improve her game in the seasons to come and play for India soon.
Parshavi Chopra
Parshavi was part of the U19 women’s team that won the U19 T20 World Cup in South Africa in January 2023.
She played 4 matches for the UP Warriorz (UPW) and impressed with her leg spin. One thing — she bowled some brilliant deliveries to international players that left them awestruck!
Tara Norris
The only associate player from the USA who was picked in the WPL auction.
DC was able to play her as the 5th overseas player, as BCCI had allowed playing an extra overseas from the associate nation.
Tara Norris picked up 5 wickets in Delhi’s first match against RCB on 5th March. That made her the first bowler to pick up a 5-wicket haul in the WPL.
Issy Wong
Issy Wong was brilliant with the ball in the whole league except for a few games.
And oh boy, her performance in the playoffs against UPW and DC was just fantastic. 🔥
A hat-trick in the eliminator against UPW and 3 early wickets against DC — after getting thrashed for a couple of boundaries from Shafali — changed the momentum in MI’s favour to win the WPL
Kiran Navgire
Well, Kiran Navgire started off her campaign with a hard-hitting 53 off 43 balls but couldn’t continue the momentum throughout the league.
As everyone saw her power hitting in the first match, everyone expected big knocks, but she couldn’t live up to it. I hope she lights up the second season with her power-hitting and big knocks.
Shikha Pandey
Special mention to India’s Shikha Pandey for her disciplined bowling attack. She picked 10 wickets at an economy rate of 6.59, and that too when there was little help for pacers. I wonder why she was dropped from the Indian team!
And how can I forget her sensational knock — 27 off 17 balls — in the finals against MI? That 52* run partnership with Radha Yadav for the 10th wicket was special.
Harleen Deol
Another Indian player, Harleen Deol, proved her worth in the middle order for the Gujarat Giants.
She scored 202 runs with a strike rate of 125.46. And she took some amazing diving catches in the league.
One thing to note — she scored runs consistently throughout the league, which she hasn’t done for India. Hopefully, she carries this form when she plays for India.
Dayalan Hemalatha
Dayalan Hemalatha put on a promising performance with the bat for the Gujarat Giants.
She scored 151 runs at a sensational strike rate of 157.29 and scored a half-century in their last league game against UPW. She has the potential to play in the middle order for India and score big runs quickly.
Teams
5 teams, 87 players, and finding the right team combination.
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)
When the player auction happened, RCB seemed like the most strong team on paper, with many big international names. But they failed to find the right balance and made too many changes to their playing XI, which of course didn’t work in their favour.
One positive thing from RCB camp — they gave more chances to uncapped domestic players, where other teams lacked a bit, especially DC.
Gujarat Giants (GG)
Talking about GG, they lost two international players due to injuries. Beth Mooney, the captain, got injured while batting in the opening game, and Deandra Dottin was declared unfit before the league started.
So they had to bring in replacement players — Kim Garth and Laura Wolvardt. Kim Garth bowled pretty well, bagging 11 wickets.
GG’s Indian players, except Harleen Deol and Dayalan Hemalatha, didn’t perform well.
Uttar Pradesh Warriorz (UPW)
The UPWs squad was pretty much balanced. They had the world’s No. 1 T20 batter — Tahlia McGrath, and the world’s No. 1 T20 bowler — Sophie Ecclestone, along with an experienced skipper, Alyssa Healy, and powerful finishers like Grace Harris and Deepti Sharma.
But, even after having these players, they struggled to find the best opening pair. This meant they couldn’t get big starts, and the onus was put on the middle order to score the runs.
Delhi Capitals (DC)
Moving on to DC. Oh, they had the most experienced squad in the WPL. Most of the players in the XI had represented their countries at the international level. And they had the most successful captain — Meg Lanning.
Two issues — inconsistent middle order and not utilising all the players. Speaking of the middle order, only Marizanne Kapp performed well, with the bat as well as the ball. Jemimah Rodrigues was brilliant off the field, but she disappointed on the field except for her sensational fielding.
And they didn’t utilise the players well. Arundhati Reddy played 7 matches and bowled only 9 overs in 4 matches. Now this feels like a waste of resources!
Mumbai Indians (MI)
Finally, about MI. It seemed like they wouldn’t be able to put up a best playing XI after the auction, but they were spot-on with their selection. Their overseas players performed extraordinarily, and no wonder they dominated the batting and bowling charts.
Now, some domestic players — Jintimani Kalita, Humaira Kazi, and Amanjot Kaur — didn’t get many chances to showcase their talent. Hopefully, they will get more chances next season.
MI and DC mostly stuck with the same XI throughout the league. Maybe that was the reason behind these two teams winning the most games and eventually MI winning the WPL.
What the future holds?
All the teams are heavily dependent on their overseas players, but the exposure that the league gives to the domestic players will bring out the best players at the top.
The experience of sharing a dressing room with international players, playing in clutch situations, and getting mentored by top coaches will help them improve their skills.
With 10 million fans tuning in to watch the final on JioCinema, the players also get the recognition they deserve for putting in the hard work.
The WPL has started off with a bang. And in 2–3 years, the WPL will be the best women’s cricket league in the world.
As all of us have witnessed some remarkable performances in front of a full-packed stadium, it is safe to say that the WPL is here to stay and “Ye to bas shuruwat hai”!
P.S. — The IPL has started, and the BCCI has introduced some new rules. Check it out.
By the way, which team are you supporting? 👀
