WPL 2023: Teams, venues, formats and everything one must know about it

The Women’s Premier League (WPL), which is surprisingly not called the Women’s IPL, is finally here and March 04 marks the beginning of a new era in Indian domestic cricket. The women cricketers will now be getting the much-needed exposure, potential sponsors and a league of their own which has been their demand ever since the Women’s Big Bash League became a brand. 

So, before the matches rush on to the viewers, here’s a quick look at the basics to get them up to date with the new event. 

How many teams are there in the Women’s Premier League?

For the first edition of the tournament, five franchises were bought by different owners and they are based in five different cities in India. The five franchises are- Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Giants, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore and UP Warriorz. 

What are the venues for WPL 2023?

It must occur to people that if there are five franchises, then they must play home and away games like IPL. Sadly though, this is not the case for the first season and the league governing body has decided to host all the matches in Mumbai itself. The two grounds chosen for the matches are Dr Dy Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai and Cricket Club of India’s Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai. 

What is the format of the Women’s Premier League 2023?

If the teams are not playing on a home-and-away basis and if all the matches are being played at just two venues in one city, then would the teams still be playing against each other twice as it happens in most of the leagues? The answer to this question is also ‘no’ as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) decided to make the first edition of the WPL a round-robin format. 

Each team will play against the other once and a total of 20 league matches will be played before the top three teams are decided. The number-one-ranked team will directly qualify for the final while the number two and three will meet in a playoff and the winner will make its way to the final. The final will be held on March 26 at the Brabourne Stadium. 

Who are the captains of all five teams?

The five teams are led by very known faces in the cricketing world. Record five times world cup winning skipper, Australia’s Meg Lanning will lead Delhi Capitals. Gujarat Giants will be led by yet another Aussie Beth Mooney. Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur will lead the Mumbai Indians while another Indian Smriti Mandhana leads the Royal Challengers Bangalore unit. UP Warriorz are led by Aussie wicketkeeper batter Alyssa Healy. 

How many foreign players are allowed in the playing 11?

The rule is the same as IPL with four foreigners allowed in the playing 11 of each team. However, there is a slight tweak as the WPL has allowed teams to field five foreigners with the fifth being a member of the Associate Nation. Only the Delhi franchise has signed up Tara Norris of the USA, which is an Associate Nation. 

What do all the squads look like?

Mumbai Indians Squad for WPL 2023

Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Amanjot Kaur, Hayley Matthews, Heather Graham, Issy Wong, Chloe Tryon, Priyanka Bala, Dhara Gujjar, Saika Ishaque, Humairaa Kaazi, Sonam Yadav, Jintimani Kalita, Neelam Bisht, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Pooja Vastrakar, Yastika Bhatia, Amelia Kerr

Royal Challengers Bangalore Squad for WPL 2023

Smriti Mandhana (c), Sophie Devine, Heather Knight, Megan Schutt, Kanika Ahuja, Erin Burns, Dane van Niekerk, Preeti Bose, Komal Zanzad, Disha Kasat, Indrani Roy, Shreyanka Patil, Asha Shobana, Poonam Khemnar, Sahana Pawar, Richa Ghosh, Ellyse Perry, Renuka Singh

Delhi Capitals Squad for WPL 2023

Meg Lanning, Alice Capsey, Shikha Pandey, Jess Jonassen, Laura Harris, Radha Yadav, Minnu Mani, Taniya Bhatia, Poonam Yadav, Sneha Deepthi, Arundhati Reddy, Titas Sadhu, Jasia Akhter, Tara Norris, Aparna Mondal, Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Marizanne Kapp

Gujarat Giants Squad for WPL 2023

Ash Gardner, Sneh Rana, Beth Mooney, Georgia Wareham, Annabel Sutherland, Sophia Dunkley, Deandra Dottin, Hurley Gala, Sushma Verma, Tanuja Kanwar, Harleen Deol, Ashwani Kumari, S Meghana, Mansi Joshi, D Hemalatha, Monica Patel, Parunika Sisodia, Shabnam Shakil

UP Warriorz

Alyssa Healy (c), Deepti Sharma (vc), Grace Harris, Anjali Sarvani, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Shweta Sehrawat, Kiran Navgire, Lauren Bell, Parshavi Chopra, S Yashasri, Laxmi Yadav, Simran Shaikh, Sophie Ecclestone, Tahlia McGrath, Devika Vaidya, Shabnim Ismail