After delivering a successful inaugural season in 2023, the Women’s Premier League (WPL) makes a thunderous return in 2024 with its second season. This time around, we will see 22 matches played across 2 venues in Bengaluru and Delhi.
Mumbai Indians were the inaugural champions, as Harmanpreet Kaur led the team to the glittery WPL trophy. Once again, as the new season kicks off, all 5 teams are vying to get their hands on the coveted trophy.
With that, we’ll look at the captains of all 5 teams for the WPL 2024 season.
Meg Lanning | Delhi Capitals
Under the aegis of Meg Lanning, the Delhi Capitals (DC) won 6 of the 8 group stage matches in 2023, entering the Final by topping the points table. They were one step away from winning the whole thing, but the Mumbai Indians (MI) handed them a defeat by 7 wickets in the Final.
Lanning was astute as a captain and batter in the last season, as she won the Orange Cap. And the Capitals are banking on her again to lead them to the trophy.
Beth Mooney | Gujarat Giants
Gujarat Giants (GG) had a forgettable campaign in the first season, as they finished last on the points table. Beth Mooney was appointed as the captain in 2023, but she bowed out of the tournament in the first match itself due to a calf injury.
Sneh Rana took the reigns from her as the stand-in captain for the rest of the season, registering 2 wins out of 8 matches. However, the franchise has re-appointed Mooney as captain, and she is raring to lead the team this season.
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Harmanpreet Kaur | Mumbai Indians
The Mumbai Indians had a stellar run in the 2023 season under Harmanpreet Kaur’s leadership. They won 6 of the 8 league stage matches and further tackled the UP Warriorz in the Eliminator before taking on the Capitals in the final.
Kaur-led MI completely outplayed DC in the Final at the Brabourne Stadium and clinched the inaugural WPL title. The Mumbai franchise will be out there defending the title, with Kaur leading them once again in 2024.
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Smriti Mandhana | Royal Challengers Bangalore
Similar to GG, the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) had a disappointing season in 2023, as they won only 2 games, finishing second-last on the points table. RCB’s skipper, Smriti Mandhana, also had an underwhelming outing with the bat.
However, Mandhana will look to do the turnover this season, as she leads a mix of young and experienced players in the squad in front of the home crowd in the first phase.
Alyssa Healy | UP Warriorz
UP Warriorz (UPW) had a good season last year under Alyssa Healy’s captaincy, as they made it to the Eliminator by winning 4 of the 8 matches. They lost the Eliminator against MI, but UPW players put out standout performances throughout the tournament.
Healy, now Australia’s all-format captain, is back at the helm of UPW in 2024. And she will be eager to take her side over the ropes.
