Defending champions Mumbai Indians are all set to take on the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the opening game of the Women’s Premier League on Friday, at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai.
The fourth Women’s Premier League will take place across two venues, Navi Mumbai and Vadodara, giving players from around the world the opportunity to compete against top talent and fine-tune their preparations for the T20 World Cup, scheduled for June-
July in England.On paper, the Mumbai Indians boast the strongest team, led by Harmanpreet Kaur and bolstered by the skippers of England (Nat Sciver-Brunt) and the West Indies (Hayley Matthews).
With most of their team retained, the Mumbai Indians are the team to defeat, thanks to a formidable batting lineup featuring New Zealand’s Amelia Kerr, rising Aussie star Milly Illingworth and India’s reliable Amanjot Kaur.
With G Kamalini at the top, the Mumbai Indians could also find themselves facing a selection headache with the available talent.
Star Protea pacer Shabnim Ismail will spearhead the bowling attack, which also features Saika Ishaque, who aims to bounce back after two challenging seasons after a brilliant debut in 2023.
A lot will hinge on how Mandhana, in the absence of the legendary Ellyse Perry, pulls the RCB team while garnering runs at the top.
Key Players
The captains: Ace India batter Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur, coming on the back of a World Cup win, will be the two players to watch out for. The former had an average season with the bat in WPL 2025 and that showed in RCB’s performance, with the team finishing fourth. Harmanpreet scored 302 runs in 10 matches at an average of 33.55.
Nat Sciver-Brunt: The highest run-scorer in WPL 2025, the English captain will be Harmanpreet’s best bet in defending their title. She scored 523 runs in 10 matches last season, at a stunning average of 65.37.
Richa Ghosh: In the absence of Ellyse Perry, the young Indian wicketkeeper-batter will have a massive role to play in RCB’s middle order. She played a crucial role in India’s World Cup win and had a strike rate of 175.57 in WPL 2025.
Amelia Kerr: The highest wicket-taker of WPL 2025, the New Zealand allrounder, is another key player Harmanpreet can count on. She claimed 18 wickets in 10 games last season, maintaining a brilliant economy rate of 7.75.
Pitch report
The DY Patil Stadium is known for its batting-friendly track, offering consistent pace and bounce. These conditions are perfect for high-scoring T20 clashes, making it a venue where batters can take charge and huge totals are expected. This venue hosted the World Cup final and India posted 298 batting first.
Prediction
As mentioned before, the Mumbai Indians are the stronger team on paper and will start as favourites. With a very new-look bowling attack in place, it needs to be seen how Royal Challengers Bengaluru step up against the hard-hitting MI batters.
