WPL 2025 Preview: With the trophy drought behind them, RCB eyes a second

Lights. Camera. Action. 

The 2025 Women's Premier League is here, back for its third edition, and the excitement has been palpable. 

Although the number of teams has remained the same at five, big strides have been made in expanding the women's game beyond the usual cricketing hubs. 

This year, two new venues have been added to the venue roster, the newly built BCA Stadium in Vadodara, and the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. 

The addition of these two stadiums in particular is a clear signal of the growing popularity of WPL, and BCCI's intention to take women's cricket beyond the metro cities. 

Ultimately, cricket is a sport played between 22 players, and on that front, the playing field looks very even on paper, with all five teams having their bases covered with a mix of star Indian and international players along with rising young talents from across the country. 

Can RCB make it two in two?

For RCB, it was a 17-year drought that ended last year, when Smriti Mandhana lifted the WPL trophy, the franchise's first since its inception. 

It was a remarkable comeback by the women in red, for they had won just two matches in the inaugural edition back in 2023. 

But now, with most of their core retained, RCB will be looking to make it back-to-back. 

Smriti Mandhana, Ellyse Perry, Richa Ghosh, and Daniel Wyatt form the core of RCB's batting, and in bowling, they have Renuka Singh and the 'spin-twins' Shreyanka Patil and Asha Shobana. 

They will be missing the services of Sophie Devine, Sophie Molineux, and Kate Cross but have brought in some good replacements in Charlie Dean, Heather Graham, and Kim Garth. 

With a reliable core and just a few combinations to get the team right, RCB certainly is the team to beat in WPL 2025. 

Third-time is the charm for DC?

With two back-to-back final defeats, Delhi seems to be missing that all-important final step that can get them over the line and put their hands on the trophy. 

Captain Meg Lanning doesn't seem too concerned about it, stating they have played good cricket and need to do more of it. 

"The key for us is maintaining what we've been doing well. We think we have been playing some really good cricket and doing a lot of things right. It is about making a few little changes here and there that we think will make a big difference," said Lanning, during a press conference ahead of the tournament. 

Like RCB, Delhi too boasts of a squad that on paper looks very balanced with a strong batting core, led by captain Lanning, Shafali Verma, and Jemimah Rodrigues. 

Rodrigues, having taken on her new role of an explosive batter, will look to continue the same in the WPL as well, while Shafali will look to the WPL as a means to getting back into the Indian squad. 

Like the batting, the bowling department looks stacked as well, with Marizanne Kapp, Arundhati Reddy, Titas Sadhu, Jess Jonassen, Radha Yadav, and Shika Pandey all capable of doing the job for the team.

For a team that has been in consecutive finals, not a lot needs to change for DC, just the cutting edge needed at the right time. 

Can Kaur conjure her magic once again with MI? 

Champions of the inaugural edition, MI missed out on the final of the 2024 edition, losing to eventual winners RCB in the playoff. 

Stacked with talent and game changers from top to bottom, this is a Mumbai team that can win a match from any situation. 

The INR 1.60 crore acquisition of 16-year-old opening batter Kamalini G drew everyone's attention, but it is not an unknown fact that Mumbai Indians arguably have the best talent scouts in all of WPL. 

All eyes will be on the explosive opener, and while it is yet to be seen if she will be in the main 11 right away, she is bound to be kept in the scheme of things. 

Deepti Sharma takes on the captaincy 

UP Warriorz have appointed Deepti Sharma as their captain, hoping the all-rounder can lead them to bigger and better things in the WPL. 

They will be without Alyssa Healy, whose absence is huge considering the sheer amount of experience the Aussie has, and it has made the batting department look light without the lack of a big-name batter. 

What they do have though, are all-rounders who can weave the long handle. 

Deepti herself is quite adept in producing useful knocks down the order, and the Warriorz can depend on Sophie Ecclestone, Chamari Athapaththu, and the talented Shwetha Sehrawat to take their batting through. 

Gujarat keen on making the top three

Gujarat Giants have an excellent set of foreigners with Ashleigh Gardner, Phoebe Litchfield, Laura Wolvaardt, and Beth Mooney forming the core. 

Harleen Deol and Dayalan Hemalatha will be their key Indian batters, as will Priya Mishra with the ball. 

Having gone two editions without a top-three finish, Gujarat's primary objective would be to put themselves in the top three. 

Opening fixture

The season opener is on February 14, with the Gujarat Giants taking on defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Vadodara. 

Where to watch WPL 2025?

All matches of the WPL will be telecasted on Sports 18 HD/SD.

It will also be live-streamed on the JioCinema app and website.