Following in the footsteps of the IPL, the Women’s Premier League (WPL) is making a mark. In a short period, the WPL has emerged as the best women’s T20 league. And the presence of some top players has played a pivotal role in the league flying high.
Just like the IPL, the WPL franchises have heavily relied on overseas stars to deliver breathtaking performances. But there’s obviously a limit on the number of foreign players a team can have.
So how many overseas players can a WPL team have in their squad?
A WPL team can have a maximum of six overseas players during a particular season. The number is two less than the IPL.
But the WPL regulations have a special rule in place regarding foreign players. Unlike the IPL, the WPL franchises can have an additional overseas cricketer on top of the maximum limit.
How so? See, the franchises can sign an extra foreigner if the concerned player is from an associate nation.
Now what is an associate nation?
So the International Cricket Council (ICC) has more than 100 members. And only 12 of them are full members, having permanent Test, ODI, and T20I status.
The rest of them don’t have permanent status across formats. So such nations hold associate membership in the ICC.
Now if a woman cricketer from an associate nation bags a deal, the WPL will consider them more like a domestic player rather than an overseas one. And this rule isn’t just limited to the overall squad.
Overseas Players in Playing XI in WPL
The WPL teams can field a maximum of four overseas players in the starting XI. But they can stretch it to five by having an associate nation player. That means a WPL team can name five overseas players in the starting XI.
In case a team decides to have two associate players among those five, one of them will count towards the four overseas slots. The other associate will be considered a domestic player.
In the IPL, though, teams can have a maximum of four foreign cricketers in the squad. The rule remains the same even in the case of the impact player regulation.
Have any WPL teams fielded five overseas players in the playing XI?
Yes. There have been a few instances of WPL teams having five overseas players in the starting XI.
In the inaugural season in 2023, Delhi Capitals (DC) had the USA’s Tara Norris in the XI alongside their regular four foreign players. The next season, Gujarat Giants fielded Scotland’s Kathryn Bryce, while her sister, Sarah Bryce, turned up for DC in the 2025 edition.
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