WPL 2024 - Everything You Need to Know

WPL 2024 – Everything You Need to Know

The second season of the Women’s Premier League will begin on Friday (February 23), with champions Mumbai Indians defending their title against the runners-up from the first season, Delhi Capitals, at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore.

Is Bangalore the location for WPL 2024?

For the first half, yes. The five-team competition will feature 22 games, including the knockout rounds, and will be split equally between Bengaluru and Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium. The opening leg will be played in Bangalore till March 4, followed by the first game in Delhi on March 5. The Eliminator and Final will also be held at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, on March 15 and 17, respectively.

Is there a change in the tournament setup since last year?

Not in the number of teams, and not in the format. In a double round-robin style, each team will play the other four times each. The table-toppers advance to the final, as they have in the past, and the second and third-placed teams will compete in the Eliminator for the chance to play in the final. The only minor change is that there are no doubleheaders this time.

What are the match times then?

All games commence at 7:30 p.m. IST and are played consecutively. The only days off are one each before the two knockouts.

Is there a bat flip, as in the WBBL?

No. Just the standard coin toss, as in the IPL. Fun fact: Harmanpreet Kaur lost seven consecutive games last season before winning one. Overall, she lost nine tosses in ten games for the Mumbai Indians.

So, like the IPL, is there an Impact Sub in WPL?

Unfortunately, the answer is no. Only the 11 players named by the captain at the toss are included, with the exception of any concussion substitutes if necessary.

Is there DRS?

Yes. All games are completely televised with DRS, and each team will receive two reviews per innings.

Can players use DRS to assess wides and no-balls in the WPL?

Absolutely. The WPL 2023 was the first time in T20 league cricket that this DRS rule adjustment was implemented. It was then repeated in the next IPL season.

Were there any unexpected releases before the mini auction?

The releases of Annabel Sutherland (Gujarat Giants), Devika Vaidya, and Shabnim Ismail (UP Warriorz) made news. Two of the three have now found new homes. Giants did, in fact, release 10 of their 18-player squad, which included national talents like S Meghana, Mansi Joshi, and Sushma Verma, as well as foreigners like Sophia Dunkley and Kim Garth. MI released Heather Graham, and RCB released Dane van Niekerk without giving them a game in the WPL 2023. Megan Schutt was another significant release from the RCB roster, while the Delhi Capitals parted ways with Tara Norris, the competition’s first Associate representative from the United States.

What were the auction highlights heading into Season 2?

Kashvee Gautam, a little-known athlete who signed a deal with Giants for INR 2 crore, became the highest-paid uncapped player at the auction, earning 20 times her base price. The lanky pacer has since been sidelined with an injury. Sutherland received the same salary from the Delhi Capitals, making her the most expensive international acquisition of this mini auction. Then there was Shabnim Ismail, who was signed by MI for INR 1.2 crore, while unproven Karnataka top-order batter Vrinda Dinesh received an INR 1.3 crore deal from the Warriorz. The only other athlete to earn an eight-figure salary was Australian batting sensation Phoebe Litchfield, who will make her WPL debut with the Giants. Veda Krishnamurthy, one of India’s periphery players, was late added to the GG roster at base price after being passed over by the five teams in the first season.

Any notable snubs?

It seemed almost criminal that Chamari Athapaththu was set to miss out for the second season in a row, but common sense triumphed, and UP Warriorz signed the Sri Lankan captain as a replacement. Deandra Dottin, a T20 globetrotter, and India’s leg-spinning allrounder Devika Vaidya, who received an INR 1.6 crore deal in the first season, did not have the same luck. Norris, who scored the WPL’s first goal on her debut, and Australia’s Kim Garth were unable to find a new team for the next season.

Any no-shows after the auction?

Heather Knight of RCB and Lauren Bell of UP Warriorz will play in England Women scheduled bilateral series in New Zealand, which begins just two days after the WPL 2024 final. Furthermore, the ECB is said to have given the WPL-bound players the option of skipping the first three of the five T20Is in New Zealand, the schedule for which was set months in advance, in exchange for full participation in the league. Knight and Bell instead chose to concentrate on international cricket. Nadine de Klerk (South Africa) and Athapaththu (Sri Lanka) will replace them in the two squads, respectively.

What does this signify for the remaining English players in the competition?

The six remaining English players – Nat Sciver-Brunt and Issy Wong (MI), Sophie Ecclestone and Danni Wyatt (UPW), Alice Capsey (DC), and Kate Cross (RCB) – have agreed to be available to their respective clubs for the duration of the competition, so England has named separate squads for the two T20Is in New Zealand.

Were there any forced withdrawals due to injuries?

So far, three have been announced, with Gautam scheduled to make her debut in the competition. However, the BCCI has not specified the extent of her ailment, as has RCB’s Kanika Ahuja, who will also miss the entire competition. Their replacements are Sayali Satghare and Shradda Pokharkar, respectively. Lauren Cheatle marked herself unavailable after recently undergoing a treatment to remove skin cancer from her neck, and the Giants experienced another withdrawal. This paved the door for New Zealand veteran Lea Tahuhu’s first appearance in the WPL after being ignored previous season.

Is there an associate player this time around?

One. Kathryn Bryce, a medium-pace all-rounder from Scotland, will be the sole Associate player in the WPL, having signed with the Gujarat Giants for a base price of INR 10 lakh. As a result, GG can now field up to five overseas players in their XI, provided one of them is Bryce.