The upcoming 3rd edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) finally gets underway on February 15 with the curtain raiser of the new season, witnessing a clash between the defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) led by skipper Smriti Mandhana and the Gujarat Giants (GG) led by the new skipper Ashleigh Gardner at the Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara from 7:30 PM IST.
There has been a significant buzz surrounding the opening clash of the 3rd edition of the tournament, especially when it comes to the RCB, as they are entering the 3rd edition as the defending champions of the WPL.
The Indian vice-captain Smriti Mandhana led the franchise to end their 16-year-long title drought by clinching their maiden title in franchise cricket in the 2nd edition of the WPL in 2024 by defeating the Delhi Capitals led by skipper Meg Lanning, etching their names into the history books on 17th March 2024 (Sunday).
Leading upto the 2025 WPL season, the Challengers have suffered multiple setbacks in the form of injuries and other reasons, losing more than a quarter of their squad even before the start of the season.
Sophie Molineux, the Player of the Match in the final to cap off a memorable season for the franchise in the previous edition, was replaced by Charlie Dean, Sophie Devine was replaced by Heather Graham, Kate Cross was replaced by Kim Garth, and most recently, a day out from the tournament, Asha Sobhana was replaced by Nuzhat Parween in the squad ahead of the new season.
If at all the defending champions needed a little bit of an uplifting push, the former RCB men’s team skipper Virat Kohli delivered just that by sending in his best wishes and support for the girls as they gear themselves up to defend their crown in the upcoming new season.
In a video message posted by RCB across social media platforms, Kohli shares, “I would like to wish the Women’s team all the very best for the upcoming WPL season. It is amazing what you did last year and I just hope that you can continue to ride that momentum and take that confidence into this tournament as well.
“There is no shortage of talent, as we had seen last year as well, and I’m sure that with the load off your back already, of winning the title, you will go out there and express yourself and enjoy the support that you get from fans all over India. So I wish you all the very best for the upcoming season.”
However, the women in Red and Gold will have to regroup themselves quickly and get into the groove in terms of fine-tuning with new last-minute additions to their squad as a tougher challenge awaits them against the Giants led by the new skipper Ashleigh Gardner, the wounded lionesses who had been at the rock bottom since the first couple of editions.
The rejuvenated Giants from Gujarat would be stepping onto their home turf for the first time in the brief WPL history when they take the field at the Kotambi, Stadium in Vadodara, with a point to prove and a legacy to build for the fans as they would be raring to leave behind the disappointment and start afresh.
It will be interesting to see how Smriti Mandhana and Co. will reshuffle and adjust the plans and strategies, with whatever has unfolded in the pre-season for them.
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