The Inaugural edition of WPL received an encouraging amount of support from the fans in terms of showing up in large numbers, as well as the digital viewership peaked at new heights right through the season for a women’s game in the country.
All the matches in the Inaugural edition of the league were played across two venues the DY Patil Stadium and the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai. The 2nd edition of the Women’s Premier League will be played in two cities Bangalore and Delhi. The first half of the tournament will take place at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore and the 2nd-half of the tournament will take place at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
Top Performers in the Inaugural Edition of the WPL
Hayley Matthews (Mumbai Indians)
The West Indies skipper Hayley Matthews went unsold on her first appearance in the WPL auctions. She was eventually picked up by Mumbai Indians. She had a sensational all-round season for the Harmanpreet Kaur-led franchise. She played a pivotal role in helping the franchise to clinch the Inaugural edition of the WPL. She scored 271 runs at a strike rate of 126.04 and an average of 30.11 in 10 innings. Her tally of runs included 1 half-century. Her best performance with the bat came on 6th March 2023 when she scored an unbeaten 77 runs at a humongous strike rate of 202.63 against RCB.
Apart from her exploits with the bat, and was the leading wicket-taker of the tournament as she picked up 16 wickets at a strike rate of 12.75 and an average of 12.62 in 10 innings. Her best performance with the ball came on 26th March 2023 when she returned with match figures (4-2-5-3) in the final against Delhi Capitals.
Meg Lanning (Delhi Capitals)
The former Australian skipper and the Delhi Capitals skipper had a sensational season with the bat for her side at the top of the order. She was also the leading run-scorer of the tournament with 345 runs to her name at an impressive strike rate of 139.11 and an average of 49.28 in 9 innings. Her best performance with the bat came on 5th March 2023 when she scored 72 runs at an impressive strike rate of 167.44 against RCB.
Sophie Ecclestone (UP Warriorz)
The left-arm spinner from England was picked up by the UP Warriorz in the inaugural auctions. She was the joint-highest wicket-taker of the tournament alongside Hayley Matthews with 16 wickets to her name at a strike rate of 13.31 and an average of 14.68 in 9 innings. Her best performance with the ball came on 10th March 2023 when she returned with match figures (4/13) in her spell against RCB.
Nat Sciver-Brunt (Mumbai Indians)
The 31-year-old star England all-rounder was one of the match-winners in a star-studded line-up for Mumbai Indians. She was the leading run-scorer for Mumbai Indians and the 2nd highest run-scorer of the tournament with 332 runs to her name at an impressive strike rate of 140.08 and a humongous average of 66.40 in 10 innings. Her best performance with the bat came on 24th March 2023 when she scored an unbeaten 72 runs at an impressive strike rate of 189.47 in the Eliminator against the UP Warriorz.
Apart from her exploits with the bat, she also picked up 10 wickets at a strike rate of 19.20 and an average of 22.80 in 10 innings. Her best performance with the ball came on 14th March 2023 when she returned with match figures (3/21) in her spell against Gujarat Gaints.
Tahlia McGrath (UP Warriorz)
The 28-year-old star Australian all-rounder Tahlia McGrath was the stand-out performer with the bat for the UP Warriorz. She was the leading run-scorer with the bat for the UP Warriorz and the 3rd highest run-scorer of the tournament with 332 runs to her name at an impressive strike rate of 158.11 and an impressive average of 50.33 in 8 innings. Her best performance with the bat came on 7th March 2023 when she scored an unbeaten 90 runs at an impressive strike rate of 180 against DC.
Apart from her exploits with the ball, she also picked up 2 wickets with the ball at a strike rate of 18 and an average of 37 in 3 innings. Her best performance with the ball came on 5th March 2023 when she returned with match figures (1/18) in her spell against Gujarat Giants.