Flashback To The Inaugural Edition Of Women's Premier League (WPL 2023)
After the immense success of the Indian Premier League, every cricket-playing nation introduced their own T20 league over time, which took the cricket world by storm. The Board of Control in Cricket in India (BCCI) took it to another level when they introduced a franchise league for women's cricket in 2022 called the Women's Premier League (WPL). The first edition of the WPL took place in 2023, with five teams taking part in the inaugural season.
The blueprint of the WPL started back in 2022, when then BCCI president Sourav Ganguly promised to introduce a league that is likely to be a women's version of the IPL to replace the Women's T20 Challenge. And it ended up being one of the biggest women's cricket tournaments. Top names in women's cricket joined the league through auction, and it became a grand success.
WPL: Women's Premier League Inaugural Season
The inaugural season of the WPL had five teams competing with each other. The competition was played under the same structure as the IPL. There was an auction held ahead of the start of the tournament, which saw some of the biggest buys ever recorded in women's cricket history. Indian batting sensation Smriti Mandhana bagged an amount of INR 3.4 crore. Meanwhile, Australian star Ashleigh Gardner was the second-costliest player, with a deal worth INR 3.2 crore from the Gujarat Giants. There were 22 matches in the inaugural season, and all those games took place at Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai and DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.
The Women's Premier League (WPL) 2024 will be the second season of the tournament and it starts on February 23.
WPL 2023: Teams and Captains in the Tournament
- Delhi Capitals: Meg Lanning (c)
- Gujarat Giants: Beth Mooney (c)
- Mumbai Indians: Harmanpreet Kaur (c)
- Royal Challengers Bangalore: Smriti Mandhana (c)
- UP Warriorz, Alyssa Healy
WPL: Women's Premier League 2023
The inaugural season was played with five teams competing in a round-robin and playoff format. The Delhi Capitals finished the group stage at the top with 12 points and made it to the final directly. On the other hand, the Mumbai Indians and the UP Warriorz, who finished second and third, respectively, played Eliminator. MI won the eliminator, made it to the final, and went on to win the tournament. They beat DC by 7 wickets to lift the championship, and Harmanpreet Kaur became the first WPL captain to win the title.
WPL 2023: Stats & Records
Most Runs in the Tournament (WPL 2023)
DC skipper Meg Lenning ended up as the highest run scorer in the tournament. She made 345 runs in just nine matches and won the ‘Orange Cap.’
Meg Lanning (Delhi Capitals): 345 runs in 9 innings
Nat Sciver-Brunt (Mumbai Indians): 332 runs in 10 innings
Tahlia McGrath (UP Warriorz): 302 runs in 9 innings
Harmanpreet Kaur (Mumbai Indians): 281 runs in 9 innings
Hayley Matthews (Mumbai Indians): 271 runs in 9 innings
Most Wickets in the Tournament (WPL 2023)
Hayley Matthews was possibly the most impactful player in the inaugural season. Apart from scoring 271 runs with the bat, she also picked up 16 wickets and won the Purple Cap award.
Hayley Matthews (Mumbai Indians): 16 wickets in 10 matches
Sophie Ecclestone (UP Warriorz): 16 wickets in 10 matches
Amelia Kerr (Mumbai Indians): 15 wickets in 10 matches
Issy Wong (Mumbai Indians): 15 wickets in 10 matches
Saika Ishaque (Mumbai Indians): 15 wickets in 10 matches
Other Stats of WPL 2023
Highest Total: DC (223/2) vs. RCB on March 5, 2023, at Brabourne
Biggest Win: MI beat the Gujarat Giants by 143 runs on March 4, 2023, at DY Patil Stadium.
Highest Individual Score: Sophie Devine (99 off 36 balls) for RCB against Gujarat Giants
Best Bowling Figure: Marizanne Kapp (5/15) for DC against the Gujarat Giants
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Highest Partnership: Shafali Verma and Meg Lanning for 1st Wicket (DC) vs. RCB