The Mumbai Indians have been a force to reckon with since the inception of the Women’s Premier League. In the inaugural 2023 season, captain Harmanpreet Kaur led her team to victory, defeating the Delhi Capitals in a thrilling final and etching their name in WPL history as the first-ever champions.
The 2024 season saw them aiming for back-to-back titles, and they made it to the Eliminator. However, their campaign was cut short by a narrow five-run defeat against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) led by skipper Smriti Mandhana, who went on to win their maiden title. Now, as Mumbai Indians prepare for the 2025 season, they would be determined to learn from their past experiences and come back stronger than ever.
As the Women’s Premier League (WPL) gears up for its highly anticipated third edition on February 14th, 2025, all eyes are on the Mumbai Indians. With the dynamic Harmanpreet Kaur at the helm, the team is eager to reclaim their dominance in the league. This in-depth SWOT analysis delves into the heart of the Mumbai Indians squad, dissecting their potential and challenges as they embark on their quest for WPL glory.
Pre-season Updates:
The 25-year-old pace-bowling all-rounder Pooja Vastrakar is currently in the recovery process for a knee injury that she sustained in the 9th edition of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024, in October in the United Arab Emirates. She has been out of action since India’s fixture against Australia on 13th October 2024. She is also likely to miss the first few games of the upcoming 3rd edition of the WPL from 14th February 2025.
Mumbai Indians WPL 2025 Auction picks:
Akshita Maheshwari: Base Price: 20 Lakhs; Secured at 20 Lakhs
Sanskriti Gupta: Base Price: 10 Lakhs; Secured at 10 Lakhs
G Kamalini: Base Price: 10 Lakhs; Secured at 1.60 CR
Nadine de Klerk: Base Price: 30 Lakhs; Secured at 30 Lakhs
Here’s the SWOT Analysis of Mumbai Indians:
Areas of Concern/Weakness:
Injury cloud surrounding the availability of Pooja Vastrakar –
The 25-year-old young all-rounder from Madhya Pradesh, Pooja Vastrakar, has showcased her game-changing abilities with the bat as well as with the ball on various occasions. Her ability to deliver with the new ball in the powerplay and also her street-smart variations in line and length make her a bankable bowler at the death overs. To add to her bowling prowess, her nonchalant ability to power the ball over the ropes makes her an invaluable asset as a finisher with the bat for any side she plays for. There are not many pace-bowling all-rounders in the country at present who can provide a similar skill set.
Vastrakar has been a vital cog in the Mumbai Indians starting line-up. She has picked up seven wickets at an economy of 7.08 in 12 innings across the first couple of editions of the tournament. Her impressive spell of 3-0-14-2 against the Challengers at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, on March 2 has been her best return with the ball in hand for Mumbai Indians.
Besides her contributions with the ball, she has also scored 126 runs at a decent strike rate of 116.66 and an average of 14 in 11 innings with the bat for her side across the first couple of editions in the tournament so far. With no potential like-for-like Indian replacement in terms of her impact, it could prove to be costly for the franchise the longer she remains unavailable for selection in the upcoming 3rd edition of the WPL.
Lack of reliable local options in the middle-order –
The starting 11 seems to be sorted, but the concern lies in their Indian back-ups when it comes to the middle-order. The overseas trio of Nat Sciver-Brunt and Melie Kerr were at the heart of Mumbai’s batting line-up, alongside skipper Harmanpreet Kaur who accounted for a major chunk of runs. When it comes to the Indian core in the middle-order, the next in line after skipper Harmanpreet Kaur in terms of experience, is only Amanjot Kaur and Sajeevan Sajana.
Even though the two haven’t had much game time, she has shown glimpses of her all-round abilities. In the amount of opportunities that have come her way, Amanjot has scored 81 runs at a decent strike rate of 119.11 in 11 innings with a high score of 42. She could have an elevated responsibility in the upcoming 3rd edition of the tournament in terms of her role in the starting 11, especially with thin Indian reserves in the middle order, in Amandeep Kaur, Sajeevan Sanjana, and Sanskriti Gupta to an extent, especially in terms of experience.
Strengths and Opportunity:
The inclusion of Nadine de Klerk adds up to the lethal overseas core –
One of the most promising all-rounders from South Africa, the 25-year-old rising sensation Nadine de Klerk came in as a replacement for the English skipper Heather Knight in RCB’s squad last year, who went on to be the eventual champions of the tournament. She played just one game for the franchise where she picked up a couple of wickets in her spell against the Delhi Capitals.
She was picked up by the franchise at the base price which was potentially a steal in the WPL 2025 mini-auction. However, when it comes to featuring in the starting 11, with former South African speed gun Shabnim Ismail still going strong and delivering potent spells with the ball at the franchise level, the Proteas youngster might have to wait for a bit longer for her time under the sun.
She’s more than just a decent backup for her fellow South African pacer. Even at the international level, Nadine de Klerk has emerged as one of the go-to bowlers under pressure for the Proteas skipper Laura Wolvaardt. Nadine’s inclusion bolsters the bench strength for Mumbai and makes it arguably one of the most lethal overseas cores in the upcoming 3rd edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL).
A promising prospect of G Kamalini –
The young 16-year-old sensation, G Kamalini is a wicket-keeper batter who represents Tamil Nadu at the domestic level. She was picked up by the franchise for a whopping 1.60 Crores, outbidding Delhi Capitals in a fierce bidding war at the auction table courtesy of her impressive domestic performances. She also recently played an instrumental role in India’s successive 2nd ICC Women’s Under-19 T20 World Cup title in Malaysia.
Kamalini was the 2nd highest run-getter for India and overall, the 3rd highest run-scorer of the tournament in the recently concluded 2nd edition of the tournament with 143 runs at a strike rate of 104.37 and an outstanding average of 35.75 in seven innings. Her best performance with the bat for India in the tournament came on 31st January 2025, when she scored an unbeaten half-century (56* off 50 balls) in the semi-final against England, guiding the Women in Blue over the line. However, with Yastika Bhatia being the first-choice keeper at the top of the order likely to open the innings alongside Hayley Matthews, the youngster will have to wait for her opportunity to showcase her talent in the competition.
Mumbai Indians WPL 2025 Squad:
Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Yastika Bhatia (WK), Hayley Matthews, Nadine de Klerk, Amandeep Kaur, Amanjot Kaur, Melie Kerr, Sajeevan Sajana, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Chloe Tryon, Saika Ishaque, Shabnim Ismail, Jintimani Kalita, Pooja Vastrakar, Sanskriti Gupta, G Kamalini, Sathyamoorthy Keerthana, Akshita Maheswari
Mumbai Indians WPL 2025 Fixtures:
February 15 (Saturday): vs Delhi Capitals, Vadodara
February 18 (Tuesday): vs Gujarat Giants, Vadodara
February 21 (Friday): vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Bengaluru
February 26 (Wednesday): vs UP Warriorz, Bengaluru
February 28 (Friday): vs Delhi Capitals, Bengaluru
March 6 (Thursday): vs UP Warriorz, Lucknow
March 10 (Monday): vs Gujarat Giants, Brabourne
March 11 (Tuesday): vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Brabourne
March 13 (Thursday): Eliminator, Mumbai
March 15 (Saturday): Final, Mumbai
Can the inspirational skipper Harmanpreet Kaur guide her side to overcome their weaknesses and capitalize on opportunities to lift the trophy once again?
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