MI, DC set the ball rolling

Bengaluru: The narrative of women’s cricket changed for the better a season ago with the inaugural edition of the Women’s Premier League. Once a lofty dream, the tournament became a reality when five franchises from the Indian Premier League made their foray into women’s cricket. It raised the bar on players’ performances — and their bank balances — unearthing some hidden gems in the process.The biggest takeaway, according to UP Warriorz head coach Jon Lewis, was that it helped highlight skills of the best cricketers in front of a huge audience. “Players who have not had the opportunity to play international cricket, Indians especially, now have the opportunity to rub shoulders with the best and understand the level of international cricket.”While the men were busy preparing for the World Cup last year, women players who were not involved in international cricket were training with their franchises. The off-season training not just upped skill levels, it also ensured players bonded better. This continuity in skill training and conditioning has been a highlight of the WPL. The camps were by no means fly-by-night programmes. They were well planned and executed over periods ranging from a week to three weeks.The 2024 edition, which promises to be bigger and better, gets underway at the M Chinnaswamy stadium – venue for the first half of the competition – here on Friday with defending champions Mumbai Indians taking on runners-up Delhi Capitals. Twenty-two matches will unfold over the next three weeks, bringing together some of the finest exponents of the sport in the world. The opening match will set the tone. Mumbai Indians, a heady mixture of youth and experience married with talent and star power, will eye an encore although skipper Harmanpreet Kaur insisted: “We want to keep things simple and enjoy our cricket.”MI, who thrived on their star all-rounders, strengthened their team at the mini auction roping in South African pacer Shabnim Ismail and Haryana's left-arm leggie Amandeep Kaur.Delhi, though, is the team to beat, given their depth. With Australian all-rounder Annabel Sutherland among their best investments this season, they will want to go the distance after faltering in the title round last season.Hosts Royal Challengers Bangalore, for whom reputation did not translate into success on the field, will look to make amends on home turf. The Smriti Mandhana-led side has overhauled its think-tank and will hope to fare better than the two-match triumph last season.If there is one team which would like to put the nightmare of the inaugural edition behind it would be Gujarat Giants. They ended with the wooden spoon but not before being enveloped in injuries — especially to skipper Beth Mooney — and controversies. They too have overhauled their backroom staff. Losing in the eliminators, UP Warriorz’ biggest letdown last season was consistency. Heavy on spin, they have revamped their team for the season and injected variety in the form of seasoned Gouher Sultana to Karnataka's Vrinda Dinesh.
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