On the eve of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2025, the 5 captains gathered together for the captain’s huddle hosted by Star Sports, sharing their excitement and insights on the tournament.
Mumbai Indians captain Harmanpreet Kaur reflected on her excitement for the upcoming season whilst highlighting the quality of talent that has been picked. “I am very excited because this season, a lot of good talent has been picked by all the teams. Last season, we saw players who performed well and earned their place in the national team. This year, I expect an even more competitive tournament as domestic cricketers have prepared themselves thoroughly for this opportunity,” Kaur said at Star Sports Press Room.
With the rising strike rates in women’s cricket becoming the talk of the town she also highlighted the evolution brought by the WPL in Indian domestic cricket, “One noticeable improvement in domestic cricket has been the strike rates of batters. This season, we saw multiple 300+ run scores in domestic matches, showing a more aggressive approach. Players are working on power-hitting, fielding, and overall skill development which is a very good thing,” she added.
A first timer in the captain’s hot seat newly appointed UP Warriorz captain Deepti Sharma highlighted her approach towards captaincy, “I am excited about captaining in the WPL. I have led my state team before, so I will draw from that experience. This is a different challenge, but I love challenges no matter the level.”
She further shared her expectations from the team, sharing, “I want the team to play a strong brand of cricket. We had a good run in the first season but lost momentum last year. This time, we aim to be more consistent and put in our best performances.”
Newly appointed Gujarat Giants captain Ashleigh Gardner reflected on the past two seasons, “The past two seasons are behind us. We can’t change that, but we can certainly focus on what’s ahead… We are in a strong position to perform better this year,” she said while also highlighting the teams’ new approach for this year.
RCB captain and reigning WPL champion Smriti Mandhana expressed her excitement for the upcoming season especially with the new team composition in place, “We had a great auction… I am really excited about a few players—Prema Rawat is an amazing talent, Raghvi Bist has great potential, and Kanika Ahuja is making a comeback after an injury. I am looking forward to seeing them perform in WPL.”
With RCB being one of the teams that has also been plagued by injury she also spoke about the absence of Sophie Devine, “Sophie Devine has been one of the best all-rounders in the world and played a key role for us. We will definitely miss her, but mental well-being is more important than anything, and we respect that.”
Australian veteran and Delhi Capitals skipper Meg Lanning highlighted the support the women’s game and the WPL have received in India, “We all know how passionate India is about cricket. The support we received last season, especially in Bangalore, was overwhelming. It’s great to see the women’s game getting this level of recognition, and a tournament like WPL plays a crucial role in growing the sport globally,” she said, highlighting how great it feels to be receiving this level of recognition.
The WPL 2025, begins on 14th February 2025, with the previous season ending with a lot of exciting matches with last-ball finishes, this season is only expected to be a better watch.
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