WPL 2025: Overseas players to watch out for

The competition continues to be a five-team affair with the Smriti Mandhana-led Royal Challengers Bengaluru being the defending champions.

The inaugural champions Mumbai Indians, UP Warriorz, Delhi Capitals, and the Gujarat Giants – who finished at the bottom of the league in both seasons so far – are the other teams in contention.

While the Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Mumbai Indians do not have a lot of changes in their squad, the Warriorz and Giants have made some significant changes.

The Warriorz would be without their regular skipper Alyssa Healy, who has been ruled out of the tournament with an injury.

Here, we take a look at some of the overseas players to watch out for in the 2025 Women’s Premier League:

Kim Garth (RCB)

Kim Garth was unsold in the 2025 WPL auctions. However, she finds herself in the mix, having been signed as a replacement player for Kate Cross by the Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

The franchise has a history of roping in star replacement players, at least, in the Indian Premier League. Fans would hope it rings true in the WPL as well.

Garth will form a potent new ball pair with Renuka Singh Thakur, posing tough questions to the opposition’s top order.

She has 49 wickets in T20Is at an average of 21.61 and an economy of just 6.17.

Annabel Sutherland (DC)

The Delhi Capitals finished as runner-up in both the Women’s Premier League editions so far.

They have roped in the star Australian all-rounder Annabel Sutherland to help them go past the final hurdle this time around.

The 23-year-old Sutherland is, undoubtedly, the best all-rounder in the sport currently. She enjoyed a tremendous run of form last year in the international circuit and was duly awarded the Belinda Clarke Award.

Though Sutherland has scored only 157 runs in 19 innings in T20Is, her strike of 138.93 stands out.

She also has picked up 32 wickets at an average of 22 and an economy rate of 6.45 runs an over.

The Capitals spent INR 2 crore on the youngster and would hope she is the right fight in their missing puzzle.

Phoebe Litchfield (GG)

Yet another Australian in this list is batter, Phoebe Litchfield. She was a part of the Gujarat Giants setup last season as well but failed to impress, scoring 108 in eight matches at a paltry average of 13.5.

The Giants management, though, has shown tremendous faith in the left-handed batter, having retained her.

Litchfield also enjoyed a good run in the recent Women’s Big Bash League, scoring over 300 runs for the Sydney Thunder.

The 21-year-old left-hander has long been touted as the next big thing in women’s cricket and the Giants would need her to fire if they are to finish anywhere other than the bottom of the standings this season.

Deandra Dottin (GG)

Deandra Dottin is yet to make her Women’s Premier League debut. That fact is hard to fathom considering the fact that she is one of the greatest the sport has seen in the shortest format.

Dottin was roped in by the Gujarat Giants for the inaugural season of the league but was ruled out with an injury.

The all-rounder, however, wasn’t impressed by the team management’s decision and questioned why she was being booted off. She maintained that she wasn’t injured.

Dottin then found no takers in the second season and now she returns to the league with the Giants, in what has been a full-circle moment.

Will Dottin’s inclusion help the Giants? Answers later but this certainly is an interesting story arc to follow.