WPL 2024: Schedule, teams, format, players to watch out for - All you need to know

The second edition of the Women's Premier League (WPL) will begin on Friday, February 23, with the defending champion Mumbai Indians taking on Delhi Capitals in the opening match of the nearly month-long tournament at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

Harmanpreet Kaur-led Mumbai Indians will look to put their best foot forward when her side goes up against Meg Lanning's Delhi Capitals in what is a repeat of last year's final.

Mumbai had defeated Delhi in last year's final by seven wickets.

The remaining three teams of the tournament are UP Warriorz, led by Alyssa Healy, Gujarat Giants, captained by Beth Mooney, and Smriti Mandhana-led Royal Challengers.

The WPL 2024 will be held in two phases. In the first phase, Bengaluru's M Chinnaswamy Stadium will play host to 11 matches. These matches will continue until March 4.

Thereafter, the WPL caravan will move to Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi where the remaining 11 matches will be held, including the Eliminator on March 15 and the final on March 17.

When and where to watch the WPL 2024 live telecast and streaming?

The Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2024 will be live on Sports 18, while the live-streaming of the matches will be available on Jio Cinemas. All the matches will begin at 7:30 PM IST.

Players to watch out for:

Annabel Sutherland

Australia's Annabel Sutherland was one of the most expensive buys at auction in December last year. She was picked by Delhi Capitals for a sum of Rs. 2 crore. The all-rounder, who played for Gujarat Giants last season, is a handy team player. The 22-year-old has played 28 T20Is for Australia picking up 15 wickets at an economy of 7.20. She has also scored 109 runs in 11 innings with the highest score of 22 not out.

Delhi Capitals will look to make the best use of her expertise to get its campaign on the right track from the beginning.

Vrinda Dinesh

Karnataka batter Vrinda Dinesh struck a massive Rs 1.3 crore deal with UP Warriorz at the WPL auction in December, becoming the second most expensive uncapped player after Kashvee Gautam. Kashvee, however, has been ruled out of the WPL 2024 due to an injury.

Vrinda is a clean hitter of the ball. She is known for playing swashbuckling innings. She also played for India A against England A in three T20s. Her bowling skills will also add strength to the Warriorz's squad.

Deepti Sharma

Deepti Sharma won the BCCI's Best Women's Cricketer of the Year award last month for her sterling performances with the Indian women's team.

Her spin bowling makes her a clear first-team player. She was picked by UP Warriorz in the auction for a whopping Rs 2.6 crore, making her the second-costliest buy in the WPL.

Her right-arm slow off-break will be crucial to Warriorz's success in the WPL 2024.

Jemimah Rodrigues

Another magnificent talent is Jemimah Rodrigues. She is known for anchoring the innings. While she can rotate the strike under pressure, she is also known for her hard-hitting style of play. She was one of India's most consistent performers in the team's gold medal-winning performance at the Hangzhou Asian Games last year.

Rodrigues will be playing for Delhi Capitals in the WPL 2024. DC shelled out Rs 2.2 crore to procure the service of the star Indian cricketer.

WPL 2024: Squads

Delhi Capitals

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 Kumari

Mumbai Indians

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 Keerthana

Gujarat Giants

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

Royal Challengers Bangalore

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

UP Warriorz

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

Format:

The tournament will be held in a round-robin league format. The team topping the league will secure a direct spot in the final, while the second and third-placed teams will fight for the remaining spot in the eliminator, which will be played on March 15. The final be held in Delhi on March 17.

WPL 2024 schedule:

February 23- Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Capitals in Bengaluru

February 24- Royal Challengers Bangalore vs UP Warriors in Bengaluru

February 25- Gujarat Giants vs Mumbai Indians in Bengaluru

February 26 – UP Warriors vs Delhi Capitals in Bengaluru

February 27 – Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Gujarat Giants in Bengaluru

February 28 – Mumbai Indians vs UP Warriors in Bengaluru

February 29 – Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Delhi Capitals in Bengaluru

March 1 – UP Warriors vs Gujarat Giants in Bengaluru

March 2 – Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Mumbai Indians in Bengaluru

March 3 – Gujarat Giants vs Delhi Capitals in Bengaluru

March 4 – UP Warriors vs Royal Challengers Bangalore in Bengaluru

March 5 – Delhi Capitals vs Mumbai Indians in Delhi

March 6 – Gujarat Giants vs Royal Challengers Bangalore in Delhi

March 7 – UP Warriors vs Mumbai Indians in Delhi

March 8 – Delhi Capitals vs UP Warriors in Delhi

March 9 – Mumbai Indians vs Gujarat Giants in Delhi

March 10 – Delhi Capitals vs Royal Challengers Bangalore in Delhi

March 11 – Gujarat Giants vs UP Warriors in Delhi

March 12 – Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bangalore in Delhi

March 13 – Delhi Capitals vs Gujarat Giants in Delhi

March 15 – Eliminator in Delhi

March 17 – Final in Delhi