Navi Mumbai: The 2026 Women’s Premier League (WPL) begins today with a thrilling opener between defending champions Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). The match will be played at the Dr. DY Patil Sports Academy, with the toss scheduled at 7 PM and play starting at 7:30 PM.
Captains and Teams
Mumbai Indians are led by Harmanpreet Kaur, while RCB’s skipper is Indian star batter Smriti Mandhana.
Head-to-Head Record
Mumbai Indians have been the most successful franchise in WPL history, winning two of the three titles so far. RCB has claimed the trophy once. To date, the two teams have faced each other seven times, with Mumbai Indians winning four matches and RCB winning three, promising another high-intensity clash.
Alice Perry Out of This Season
Australian all-rounder Ellyse Perry, widely regarded as one of the finest players in women’s cricket history, will miss this season. Perry, who was part of RCB, scored the second-most runs in the league and also took 14 wickets in previous seasons. She had a notable performance against Mumbai in 2024, taking 6 wickets for just 15 runs, the best bowling figures in the tournament’s history. Her absence is a significant blow to RCB.
Team Line-Ups:
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Smriti Mandhana (captain), Georgia Voll, Gautami Naik, Grace Harris, Richa Ghosh (wk), Nadine De Klerk, Pooja Vastrakar, Radha Yadav, Shreynka Patil, Arundhati Reddy, Lauren Bell, Kumar Pratyusha, Sayali Satghare, Prema Rawat, Dayalan Hemlata, Linsey Smith.
Mumbai Indians: Hayley Matthews, G. Kamalini (wk), Nat Sciver-Brunt, Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Amelia Kerr, Amanjot Kaur, Sajivan Sajna, Poonam Khemanar, Sanskriti Gupta, Shabnim Ismail, Triveni Vashisth, Nalla Reddy, Rahila Firdous, Millie Illingworth, Saika Ishaq, Nicola Carey.
With both teams boasting star-studded line-ups and a tightly contested head-to-head record, the WPL 2026 opener promises fireworks for fans.
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