Who are the new faces on show, where do the teams’ strengths lie, and what holes do they still need to cover for? Here’s your go-to guide on the WPL 2024 squads
S Sudarshanan18-Feb-2024 • Updated on 19-Feb-2024Delhi CapitalsWhere they finished in WPL 2023: Runners-up, after topping the league stageFull Squad: Alice Capsey*, Arundhati Reddy, Jemimah Rodrigues, Jess Jonassen*, Laura Harris*, Marizanne Kapp*, Meg Lanning*, Minnu Mani, Poonam Yadav, Radha Yadav, Shafali Verma, Shikha Pandey, Sneha Deepthi, Taniya Bhatia (wk), Titas Sadhu, Annabel Sutherland*, Aparna Mondal (wk), Ashwani KumariThe good: Plenty of allrounders. Annabel Sutherland is a bankable back-up for Marizanne Kapp. And Arundhati Reddy is coming in on the back of a strong domestic season. Titas Sadhu’s new-found experience from the international stage adds another layer to their bowling attack.The not-so-good: Not having a back-up for legspinner Poonam Yadav. And once again having two wicketkeepers whose batting is a clear secondary facet. Even if Taniya Bhatia has improved quite a bit with her strokeplay.New player to watch: Ashwani Kumari is a good replacement for any Indian batter in the XI. She is coming in on the back of a stellar Senior Women’s Inter-Zonal T20 Trophy, where she top-scored for East Zone and struck it at 184.90, the most among the top ten run-getters.The big questionGujarat GiantsWhere they finished in WPL 2023: Last, with two wins out of eight gamesFull Squad: Ashleigh Gardner*, Beth Mooney*, Dayalan Hemalatha, Harleen Deol, Laura Wolvaardt*, Shabnam MD, Sneh Rana, Tanuja Kanwar, Phoebe Litchfield*, Meghna Singh, Trisha Poojitha, Sayali Satghare, Priya Mishra, Kathryn Bryce*, Mannat Kashyap, Veda Krishnamurthy, Tarannum Pathan, Lea Tahuhu*Replacements: Australia left-arm fast bowler Lauren Cheatle, who they picked at the auction, had to withdraw after undergoing a procedure for skin cancer. Giants roped in New Zealand’s experienced fast bowler Lea Tahuhu as her replacement. Tahuhu was part of the inaugural Women’s T20 Challenge for Trailblazers in 2018. Allrounder Kashvee Gautam, who was bought for a record INR 2 crore, has been ruled out of the season due to injury with uncapped allrounder Sayali Satghare named as her replacement.Kathryn Bryce has been a part of the international and franchise-league circuits•Getty ImagesThe good: Having Scotland’s Kathryn Bryce, a player from an Associate nation, in the squad gives them an option of playing five overseas players in the XI. Phoebe Litchfield’s solid show on her India tour last year gives them problem of plenty when it comes openers, with Beth Mooney and Laura Wolvaardt also around. They also have experienced finishers in D Hemalatha and Veda Krishnamurthy.The not-so-good: Bryce has not toured India yet while Tahuhu last visited in 2018. They will have to quickly adapt to conditions in Bengaluru and New Delhi or else quite a lot will hinge on Meghna Singh.New player to watch: Sayali Satghare, the replacement player for Gautam, is the one to keep an eye on. She plays for Mumbai in the domestic circuit and is a seam-bowling allrounder. She struck a century in the game against Arunachal Pradesh and averaged 52 with the bat in the domestic one-day tournament last month, where she also picked up a total of ten wickets.The big questionMumbai IndiansWhere they finished in WPL 2023: Title-winnersFull Squad: Amanjot Kaur, Amelia Kerr*, Chloe Tryon*, Harmanpreet Kaur, Hayley Matthews*, Humaira Kazi, Issy Wong*, Jintimani Kalita, Nat Sciver-Brunt*, Pooja Vastrakar, Priyanka Bala, Saika Ishaque, Yastika Bhatia, Shabnim Ismail*, S Sajana, Amandeep Kaur, Fatima Jaffer, SB KeerthanaThe good: They were already strong on paper, but they went to the auction and got Shabnim Ismail, a solid back-up for Issy Wong. Harmanpreet Kaur will have a tough time choosing four overseas from the options available. Plus allrounder Pooja Vastrakar is coming off of a good international season.Mumbai Indians’ preparations are in full swing ahead of their title defence•Mumbai IndiansThe not-so-good: A very right-hand heavy batting line-up.New player to watch: Left-arm wrispinner Amandeep Kaur. Not many of her ilk in women’s cricket yet, and she had a decent domestic season – nine wickets at 10.77 in the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy, was part of North Zone for the Senior Women’s Inter-Zonal T20s and returned 17 wickets in the Under-23 One Day Trophy.The big questionRoyal Challengers BangaloreWhere they finished in WPL 2023: Fourth, with only NRR helping them avoid the wooden spoonFull Squad: Asha Shobana, Disha Kasat, Ellyse Perry*, Indrani Roy, Shradda Pokharkar, Renuka Singh, Richa Ghosh, Shreyanka Patil, Smriti Mandhana, Sophie Devine*, Georgia Wareham*, Kate Cross*, Ekta Bisht, Shubha Satheesh, S Meghana, Simran Bahadur, Sophie Molineux*, Nadine de Klerk*Replacements: With England’s tour of New Zealand clashing with the end stages of the WPL, Heather Knight had to opt out. RCB brought in South Africa allrounder Nadine de Klerk as her replacement. Spin-bowling allrounder Kanika Ahuja was also ruled out with injury with Shradda Pokharkar picked as her replacement.Nadine de Klerk featured for South Africa across formats during their recently concluded Australia tour•Getty ImagesThe good: RCB leaked runs at 9.13 per over in WPL 2023. So they’ve got in bowlers who are known for their control as well as batting contributions – Georgia Wareham and Sophie Molineux. They have got experienced bowlers and de Klerk has been in some good hitting form, too.The not-so-good: Thin on seam-bowling resources, and so Ellyse Perry and Sophie Devine may have to shoulder additional responsibilities.New player to watch: Shubha Satheesh can bat, field and bowl seam. She made her Test debut against England in December 2023 before picking up a finger injury. A technically solid strokemaker, she can bat aggressively and could allow RCB a right-left option in the order as needed.The big questionUP WarriorzWhere they finished in WPL 2023: Knocked out in the EliminatorFull Squad: Alyssa Healy*, Anjali Sarvani, Deepti Sharma, Grace Harris*, Kiran Navgire, Laxmi Yadav, Parshavi Chopra, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, S Yashasri, Shweta Sehrawat, Sophie Ecclestone*, Tahlia McGrath*, Danni Wyatt*, Vrinda Dinesh, Poonam Khemnar, Saima Thakor, Gouher Sultana, Chamari Athapaththu*Replacement: England fast bowler Lauren Bell opted out “to prioritise preparing optimally” for the New Zealand tour. Warriorz had let go of Shabnim Ismail before the auction. But they roped in Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu, who had a stellar 2023, as her replacement.Chamari Athapaththu was the second-highest run scorer in WBBL 2023•Getty ImagesThe good: Plethora of top-order options to choose from, including three bonafide overseas openers in captain Alyssa Healy, Danni Wyatt and Athapaththu. Proven Indian top-order bats, too, in Shweta Sehrawat and Vrinda Dinesh. A lot of variety in the spin department.The not-so-good: Ismail’s exit and Bell’s absence leaves them with no pure overseas fast-bowling option.New player to watch: Big-hitting batter Vrinda Dinesh. Among the runs in the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy (211 runs, strike rate 154.01) and the Under-23 T20 Trophy (281 runs, strike rate 134.44).The big question
Updated after injuries ruled Kashvee Gautam and Kanika Ahuja out