In cricket, players are deservedly applauded by the followers for their mesmerizing performances on the field. While it is always the players who practice their hearts out with utmost perfection for the goodwill of the team, a head coach is at the helm, ensuring unity and making the right tactical decisions off the field. The icing on the cake is always the performance displayed by the team, but the solid foundation is laid by an astute head coach.
As the 2025 Women’s Premier League kicks off in the second week of February, let’s get to know the tacticians who will ensure that the blend of international flair and Indian domestic talent sets the stage on fire.
Charlotte Edwards – Mumbai Indians (MI)
The inaugural champions of the WPL, Mumbai Indians, are coached by English legendary batter Charlotte Edwards. Under the leadership of Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, the phenomenal coach tasted glory with a comprehensive championship win over the Delhi Capitals in 2023. During her illustrious career of 23 tests, 191 ODIs and 95 T20Is, the 45-year-old amassed 1676, 5992 and 2605 runs respectively. Edwards made her England debut at just 16 against New Zealand in Guildford, becoming the youngest woman to represent the team at the time.
Edwards played a pivotal role in shaping and transforming women’s game across the globe. For the upcoming third edition of the WPL, MI have signed wicketkeeper-batter G Kamini and allrounders Nadine de Klerk, Akshita Maheshwari, and Sanskriti Gupta to don the blue and golden jersey. “Every player that comes into MI hopefully knows what’s expected of them. But equally [important is] that aggressive approach which is what we want to have throughout when we bat, bowl or field – and that’s something we tried to put across most of the players,” Edwards said during a press conference in Mumbai. “But equally, have that clarity about what our strengths are.”
MI came pretty close to chasing down 136 against eventual champions RCB in the 2024 Eliminator but fell short by just five runs. Their middle order couldn’t capitalise on the final 2 overs, failing to score just 16 runs needed after their captain’s dismissal. She also has coached teams to championship glory across English domestic competitions, including The Hundred and also enjoyed success in Australia’s Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL).
Luke Williams – Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)
The defending champions of WPL, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, will be coached by former South Australian batter Luke Williams. There appears to be a shade of fortune with the arrival of Williams for RCB. The team finished fourth out of five teams under the mentorship of ex-coach Ben Sawyer but made a historic comeback in 2024 to quench their thirst for a maiden franchise title.
Williams, who had a brief first-class playing career from 2000 to 2005, has built a growing reputation as a coach. He led the Adelaide Strikers in the WBBL for four seasons, guiding them to their first-ever title in 2022-23 after twice finishing as runners-up. Williams served as the assistant coach for Southern Brave when they secured their maiden title in the Women’s Hundred in 2023 collaborating closely with England’s Charlotte Edwards. He has also been involved with the South Australian Scorpions in Australia’s Women’s National Cricket League (WNCL).
Jonathan Batty – Delhi Capitals (DC)
Jonathan Batty will continue to serve as the head coach of the two-time runners up – Delhi Capitals and look to overcome the Final hurdle to take the trophy home. Batty, who has coached the Oval Invincibles women’s team to The Hundred titles in 2021 and 2022, has also mentored the Melbourne Stars in the Women’s Big Bash League and the Surrey Women’s side. Bringing his first-class numbers into picture, the mighty batter scored 9685 runs in 221 matches and recorded 2992 in 209 List A matches.
With the association with legend Meg Lanning, the 50-year-old will look to dish out the right playing combination, boost the confidence of the team when things go downhill and get his name etched in history with another title in franchise-based cricket.
Jon Lewis – UP Warriorz (UPW)
Current Head coach of the England Women’s team Jon Lewis will continue to take up coaching duties for the UP Warriorz. He has been serving the team since the first season but endured a disappointing 2024 as the team finished at the fourth spot. Lewis hasn’t enjoyed a great time in the English training kit too with a recent 16-0 clean sweep during the multi-format Women’s Ashes which culminated with a thrashing loss in the one-off Test at the MCG.
The veteran bowler would not appreciate an unwanted record to his name and will aim to script redemption at the Women’s Premier League (WPL). He has enjoyed a great stint at first class cricket with 849 wickets to his name.
Michael Klinger – Gujarat Giants (GG)
Former Australian batter Michael Klinger will wear the coach’s hat for Gujarat Giants in WPL 2025. The splendid batter from Australian domestic circuit, Klinger replaced Rachael Haynes in 2024 but could not turn the tables for the franchise. The team managed to pocket 2 games and stood last on the points tally.
Klinger is the GM of Washington Freedom in MLC and serves as the assistant coach of the Sydney Thunder in the WBBL. He previously served as the head of men’s T20 for Cricket New South Wales and was the head coach of the Melbourne Renegades in the BBL from 2019 to 2021. The franchise is now led by new skipper Ashleigh Gardner, who will look to cream the perfect team combination to capitalise on their strengths and make non-repetitive errors to clinch the coveted trophy.
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